Rabbi Dr. Rob Jury

I am a Board Certified Chaplain whose work is grounded in presence, listening, ethical reflection, and accompaniment. My chaplaincy has been shaped by experience in healthcare, behavioral health, higher education, and Jewish communal settings, and by a commitment to meeting people with steadiness, care, and respect in moments of vulnerability, transition, and searching.

Chaplaincy, for me, is a practice of spiritual and relational presence. It means accompanying individuals and communities through illness, grief, crisis, recovery, uncertainty, and questions of meaning, while helping create space for honest reflection, dignity, and hope.

I work comfortably in multifaith and secular environments and attend carefully to religious diversity, spiritual struggle, moral injury, and questions of vocation and identity. My approach brings practical theology, clinical insight, and institutional responsibility into thoughtful conversation.

My work has included spiritual care in hospitals, addiction treatment, behavioral health, higher education, and Jewish communal life. Across these settings, I have worked with people from varied religious backgrounds while helping cultivate reflection, belonging, and moral clarity.

I am especially drawn to chaplaincy that supports students, emerging adults, and professionals as they navigate transition, crisis, recovery, loss, and vocational discernment. My chaplaincy and spiritual leadership also include interfaith collaboration and public religious leadership, alongside the accompaniment of individuals and communities in moments that call for depth, steadiness, and care.

I also serve in national leadership within chaplaincy as President-elect of Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains (NAJC) and immediate past Chair of its Certification Commission. I serve as well on the board of the Illinois Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling (ISERVIC) division of the Illinois Counseling Association (ICA).

My work has been recognized through Neshama’s Ner Tamid Award for distinguished leadership in chaplaincy and the ISERVIC Meritorious Service Award for leadership in spiritually integrated counseling.

My broader work as a rabbi, educator, and counselor has deepened my conviction that spiritual care is not separate from teaching, leadership, or community, but deeply intertwined with them. Chaplaincy, at its best, is an expression of attentiveness, humility, wisdom, and faithful presence.