Join Our Interfaith Chaplaincy Lecture Series

How can we become a healing presence for others? Chaplains understand that their skillset extends far beyond the workplace. The art of chaplaincy is a practice for daily life, a way of being present, offering care, and honoring the inner lives of those around us, wherever we are.

In this series of online talks, we will hear from different chaplains about their unique approaches to cultivating a healing presence. Each brings the depth of their personal and spiritual journey to their work, making every encounter truly one of a kind. By engaging with their diverse perspectives, we can glimpse the practices at the heart of chaplaincy while awakening our own inner chaplain.

Chaplain Darren Kleinberg

Tuesday, April 21, 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm PST
The End of Suffering: Chaplaincy at the Intersection of Buddhism and Jewish Mysticism

Bio: Darren was born and raised in London and is currently a Board Certified Chaplain serving on the Inpatient Palliative Care team at Kaiser Permanente, Redwood City Medical Center, California. He was ordained as a rabbi in 2005, completed a doctorate in Religious Studies in 2014, and Clinical Pastoral Education from Stanford Health Care. He has been an independent student and practitioner of Buddhism for about a decade. In his work, he primarily supports patients and families as they navigate serious illness and approach the end of life. He draws on his Jewish formation, his academic training, and his ongoing engagement with Buddhist practice. Before pursuing chaplaincy, he served for eight years as the head of a progressive Jewish high school in Palo Alto.

His published work includes the book Hybrid Judaism: Irving Greenberg, Encounter, and the Changing Nature of American Jewish Identity (2016) and many articles such as A Jewish-Buddhist Practice for Well-Being in Lion’s Roar, Working with terminally ill patients is my ‘monastery’ in The Jewish News of Northern California, and The Importance of Safety for the Practice of Spiritual Care in Reflective Practice: Formation and Supervision in Ministry.

Chaplain Kenny Solis

Tuesday, May 5, 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm PST
On the Way of “the Reed”— A chaplain’s personal journal through faith, suffering, and sacred presence

Bio: Kenny is ecclesiastically endorsed for professional chaplaincy and a board-certified chaplain (APC- BCC) completing his doctorate in Practical Theology with a concentration in spiritual care and counseling. He completed his chaplain residency at Penn Medicine Princeton Health (2023-2024) and fellowship at Stanford Health Care (2024-2025), specializing in bone marrow transplant and psychiatry. During his time at Stanford Health Care, he co-led Jummah (Friday Prayer), the weekly congregational service, as one of the Imams for Muslim medical staff and patients’ family members. He also integrates his training in mindfulness practices and experience with sound healing in his spiritual care services. Kenny holds an MA in Theology (Islamic Studies) from Claremont School of Theology and certificates in Chaplaincy and Interreligious Studies from the GTU. He is writing a book on spiritual care and psychotherapy.

Born to immigrant Mexican parents, Kenny hopes his pastoral presence brings healing to the Latino patients and families in the hospital. He named his three-year-old daughter Rumi after the 13th-century Persian Sufi mystic and poet Jalal Al-Din Rumi, whom he deeply admires.