PROGRAMS
Medical Aid in Dying: What’s a Jew to Do?
Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD), Natural Organic Reduction (NOR), and green burial are in the news a lot lately, with an increasing number of states legalizing expanded options. How might we better understand them in light of Jewish wisdom and tradition? Join us for a community conversation facilitated by Rabbi Melanie Levav, where we will examine traditional Jewish sources on these topics and explore the tension between individual liberties and communal responsibility.
Bring your questions and leave motivated to have important conversations about life and death, Jewishly.
This is one of three programs in a series—feel free to attend just this one or any combination that interests you.
Medical Aid in Dying: What Does Jewish Law Say?
With a growing number of states legalizing Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD), including those with the largest Jewish populations in the United States, how might we understand the availability of this option in light of Jewish wisdom? Join us in conversation with Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Brody, executive director of Ematai, to explore traditional understandings of Jewish law as it relates to the increasing availability of MAiD.
Bring your questions and leave motivated to have important conversations about life and death, Jewishly.
This is one of three programs in a series—feel free to attend just this one or any combination that interests you.
Medical Aid in Dying: One Jewish Family’s Story
How might we learn from others’ experiences as we talk about death? Join us in conversation with Ruth Messinger and Rabbi Joy Levitt as they share the story of their recent journey walking alongside Ruth’s husband, Andrew Lachman, during his accompanied suicide in Switzerland, honoring his wishes with sensitivity and strength.
Bring your questions and leave motivated to have important conversations about life and death, Jewishly.
This is one of three programs in a series—feel free to attend just this one or any combination that interests you.
Respecting Our Parents: A Rabbi’s Personal Experience with Medical Aid in Dying
This conversation will be an exploration of the challenges of honoring another’s end-of-life wishes, and what Jewish wisdom has to say about it all. Grounded in the movie, Last Flight Home, a recent award-winning documentary that captures Rabbi Rachel Timoner’s father’s dying days and his choice to utilize aid in dying in California. Rabbi Timoner, in conversation with Rabbi Melanie Levav, will share reflections on this journey and her dual roles as a Rabbi and daughter.
Rabbi Rachel Timoner is the senior rabbi of Congregation Beth Elohim (CBE) in Park Slope, Brooklyn, where her passions are community building, social justice, spiritual life, and lifelong learning. Previously, she served as associate rabbi of Leo Baeck Temple in Los Angeles, where she was a beloved teacher of Torah, a community organizer, and a leader in Reform California which achieved major statewide victories in immigrant rights, affordable housing, and police reform. She is a graduate of Yale University, received s’micha from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, was a Rockefeller Next Generation Leadership Fellow, and a Wexner Graduate Fellow. Rabbi Timoner serves on the board of the New York Jewish Agenda, the Brooklyn Community Foundation, the New York Board of Rabbis, the UJA-Federation of New York, Plaza Community Chapel, Community Help in Park Slope (CHiPS), and the International Council of the New Israel Fund. She is a T’ruah chavera and is a graduate of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality’s Clergy Leadership Program and the Jewish Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training. She is the author of Breath of Life: God as Spirit in Judaism.