By Toby Ehrlich
Over the past year, Bruce Birnberg, Executive Director of The Martin and Edith Stein Hospice, has been giving a presentation on a topic that has fascinated him for years, entitled, The Afterlife and Getting There Gently. “The speculation of what happens after death to the soul is very interesting,” Bruce said, smiling as he leaned back in his chair. He considers himself very well versed in Jewish views of the afterlife and has taken a number of courses on the subject.
“I call the study of exactly what happens to the soul ‘speculative spirituality.’ Funeral rituals around the world are almost always based on what is believed happens to the soul. Mourning practices are designed to help usher it on its journey,” he explained as we discussed the premise of his talk. As a Hospice director for a faith-based hospice, Bruce is aware of the wide variety of beliefs people have.
Birnberg’s presentation is approximately an hour and a half, and it focuses on “why we do what we do” in the Jewish tradition. Throughout the talk, he shows video clips illustrating contrasting beliefs from Hindu, Christian, and Mexican traditions to provide an all encompassing view of different afterlife theories from many different societies. The last section of his talk focuses on the Jewish tradition specifically, or a comparison of Judeo-Christian beliefs, depending on the audience.
“Religion is an important aspect to the afterlife process,” Bruce said. He presents all the views on afterlife, though many pick and choose what aspects they believe in.
“I get asked a lot ‘Do you really believe the things you’re presenting?’ and the truth is that I do, 90% of the time. That’s what so amazing about this topic. Views of the afterlife are very personal, and can be fluid, changing over time.”
After the presentation, Bruce is more than happy to field questions from the audience. “It’s very emotional for some people, because the content is so powerful,” he said. He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Family Therapist, which makes him uniquely qualified in his position at The Martin and Edith Stein Hospice. He came to Stein Hospice in order to work in the Jewish community, serving Middlesex, Somerset, Northern Monmouth and Southern Union counties. Before this, Bruce worked as the Associate Director at JFK Family Medicine Residency Program, teaching resident physicians a sophisticated psychosocial curriculum, which included end-of-life issues.
Bruce has given this talk a number of times already and he is more than willing to speak with your community as well. All he needs is a screen or a blank wall to project his presentation on, and he will take care of the rest. If you, or someone you know might be interested, contact him by email at [email protected] or by phone at (732) 227-1212.
His next presentation will be on Tuesday, March 19 from 7-9pm at the Congregation KolAm of Freehold, located at The Court Street School, 140 Court Street, Freehold, NJ 07728. It will be open to the community, so please come see this ‘can’t miss’ presentation.
-Written by Megan Moccio, of The Wilf Campus for Senior Living on behalf of The Martin and Edith Stein Hospice, located at 49 Veronica Ave, Somerset, NJ 08873. For more information about Hospice care, or to schedule a presentation, email us at [email protected] or reach us by phone at (732) 227-1212.

