(L-R) Rabbi Shmuel Lefkowitz; Dr. David Reich; Dr. Yashar Hirshaut; Abe Eisner; Marcel Biberfeld, DSW; NYS Health Commissioner Howard Zucker; Rabbi Gedaliah Weinberger; Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel
Chayim Aruchim Hailed as Dedicated Advocate for Patients' Rights
Chayim Aruchim Annual Board Meeting - October 29, 2015
Nearly 100 prominent rabbonim, hospital administrators, doctors, elected officials and members of the medical field turned out at Chayim Aruchim’s annual board meeting at Kehal Chasidim in Boro Park on October 29th. The meeting, which featured remarks by New York State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker, was an opportunity for Chayim Aruchim, a division of Agudath Israel of America, to raise awareness of their continued efforts to advocate for patients’ religious rights as they undergo medical treatment. READ MORE...
Chayim Aruchim Intervenes as Doctors Deny Treatment to Developmentally Disabled Woman
Chayim Aruchim’s Advocacy Prevents Hospital from Withholding Medical Treatment
A patient who enters the hospital does so with the assumption that their doctors will be looking out for their best interests and will do their utmost to provide them with appropriate medical care to ensure the best possible outcome. Yet Yosef Cohen, a critically ill patient in the medical intensive care unit of a New York City hospital, found himself bombarded with insistent requests by hospital staff who wanted permission to let him to die. READ MORE...
Chayim Aruchim Launches Local Division in Illinois Together With Agudath Israel of Illinois
On Tuesday, January 12, Agudath Israel of Illinois hosted a meeting for all Chicago-area rabbis to launch a local division of Chayim Aruchim, Agudath Israel of America's Center for Culturally Sensitive Health Advocacy and Counseling. READ MORE...
Pictured: Rabbi Shmuel Lefkowitz, vice president for community services, Dr. YasherHirshaut, Mordechai Avigdor, Esq., Senator Murphy, Yossi Menczer, Rabbi ChaimDovidZwiebel, executive vice president Agudath Israel of America
Chayim Aruchim Leadership Meets with Representatives of the NYS Legislature.
Meeting With New York State Senator Dr. Terrence Murphy
State Senator Dr. Terrence Murphy (R-NY 40th District) met with the leadership of Chayim Aruchim at Agudath Israel of America's Manhattan office, to discuss several important legislative issues. Attending the meeting were Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, Rabbi Shmuel Lefkowitz, Dr. Yasher Hirshaut, Mordechai Avigdor, Esq. and Shai Markowitz. READ MORE...
Pictured: Rabbi Shmuel Lefkowitz, vice president for community services, Rabbi Gedaliah Weinberger, Chairman of the Board of Chayim Aruchim, Assemblyman Richard Gottfried and Rivie Schwebel, a member of Chayim Aruchim’s Board of Directors.
Meeting with New York State Assemblyman Richard Gottfried
On Monday December 21st Chayim Aruchim representatives met with New York State Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, Chairman of the Assembly Health Committee. Among those in attendance were Rabbi Gedaliah Weinberger, Chairman of the Board of Chayim Aruchim, Rabbi Shmuel Lefkowitz, Vice President of Community Services for Agudath Israel of America, Rabbi Berish Fried, Chayim Aruchim’s New York State project director and Rivie Schwebel, a member of Chayim Aruchim’s Board of Directors. READ MORE...
(L to R) Rabbi Gedaliah Weinberger, Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel and Harav Meshulam Polacheck
Hatzolah Williamsburg and Chayim Aruchim Collaborate to Save Lives According to Halacha
First Responders Join Last Line of Defense
Williamsburg, Brooklyn NY - Close to 100 devoted Williamsburg Hatzolah volunteers attended a presentation last Thursday, February 27th. It was a groundbreaking initiative to expand Hatzolah volunteers' role in the struggle to keep patients alive after their arrival at the hospital even when medical professionals may be urging their families to "pull the plug" and take them off life-saving equipment as happens all too often in hospitals today. The evening was a collaboration between Hatzolah and Chayim Aruchim. Chayim Aruchim is a project of Agudath Israel of America that promotes awareness of the Halachic issues involved in end-of-life care. READ MORE...
The Myth That Feeding Tubes Don't Help and Other Absurdities
By: Dr. Barbara A. Olevitch, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and author of Life is a Treasure: The Jewish Way of Coping with Illness.
Dr. Allen Lempel, speaking at the Conference of Synagogue Rabbonim at the 88th Annual Convention of Agudath Israel of America, said, “If you have the opportunity to speak to physicians, you will hear that when we make a recommendation for a feeding tube, oftentimes it’s a battle now. The nurses have already spoken to the family about end of life issues. They have already told them ‘Feeding tubes don’t help.’ Other physicians have already said, ‘Feeding tubes don’t help.’ You’re actually at a disadvantage. When we go and speak to patients, they’ve already been told that ‘Feeding tubes don’t help. READ MORE...
Chayim Aruchim Meets with Jewish Hospital Patient Liasion Group at Seville Manor in Boro Park on July 10, 2013.
Important Chayim Aruchim Meeting with the Jewish Hospital Patient Liasion Group (JHPLG)
Chayim Aruchim Meets with Patient Reps
Important Chayim Aruchim meeting with the Jewish Hospital Patient Liasion Group (JHPLG). READ MORE...
Connecting the Dots in Medical Mystery Saves Woman’s Life
The call came in to Chayim Aruchim's hotline from a distraught son.
His 89 year old mother had been diagnosed with cancer. She was sent to a world class hospital in New York City, where a prominent surgeon felt that the proper course of treatment would be to remove both the tumor and her stomach. Unfortunately, serious complications arose as the physician was not able to successfully connect the esophagus and the small intestines, resulting in internal leakage. READ MORE...
Annual Meeting
Chayim Aruchim Hosts Annual Meeting of Rabbis, Doctors, Lawyers and Activists
Chayim Aruchim (The Center for Culturally Sensitive Health Advocacy and Counseling), an Agudath Israel project, hosted its annual meeting at Skolye Hall in Brooklyn. The agenda noted several of the organization's successes this year, such as the tremendous impact of the Chayim Aruchim 24-hour hotline (718-301-9800). The hotline, which went live in April 2014, is staffed by seven young rabbis who have been trained in many aspects of medicine and Halacha and taught how to help seriously ill patients and their families deal with these issues. READ MORE...
Helping Establish Chayim Aruchim in the United Kingdom
A two day trip to Manchester brought Chayim Aruchim’s expertise to England in an effort to help establish a Chayim Aruchim branch in the United Kingdom. READ MORE...
New End of Life Protocols Adopted at North Shore LIJ
Chayim Aruchim Meets with Lenox Hill Hospital
Rabbi Shmuel Lefkowitz, Rabbi Gedaliah Weinberger, Rivie Schwebel, Dr. Howard Lebowitz, Rabbi Wajsfeld and Mordechai Biser attended an important meeting at Lenox Hill Hospital of New York to discuss end of life health care issues. It was the culmination of a series of meetings, conference calls and e-mails with the top medical staff at the North Shore-Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Health System, which comprises some 16 major hospitals in New York State. The hospital system has agreed to revise their brain death protocols as a result of our discussions. READ MORE...
Danish Teen Wakes From the "Dead" Just as Doctors Prepare to Harvest Her Organs
A teenage girl who had been stuck in a coma after a catastrophic car crash miraculously woke up just as doctors were about to declare her brain dead and harvest her organs.
A teenage girl who had been stuck in a coma after a catastrophic car crash miraculously woke up just as doctors were about to declare her brain dead and harvest her organs. READ MORE...
Members of Chayim Aruchim advocating for changes to the Palliative Care Act in Albany in April.
L to R: Assembly Member Steven Cymbrowitz, Rabbi Shmuel Lefkowitz, Agudath Israel's Vice President for Community Affairs, Rabbi Gedaliah Weinberger, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Rabbi Mordechai Biser, Esq., General Counsel, Dr. Yashar Hirshaut, noted New York oncologist, Assemblyman Richard Gotfried, Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder, and Abe Eisner, an officer of Agudath Israel.
Agudath Israel Hails New NYS Health Care Law to Protect Patients
Bill signed into law, Patients entitled to be offered treatment according to Halacha
Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the Palliative Care Act into Law. Agudath Israel of America, which advocated strongly for its passage, hailed this vital amendment to the state's Public Health Law, which ensures that patients in the end stages of life will be informed of all their options, including their right to ongoing medical treatments as well as palliative care. READ MORE...
Chayim Aruchim is a project established by Agudath Israel of America in response to many calls for help that were received regarding Jewish end of life issues and questions about Jewish end of life values. The leadership of the Agudah recognized the gravity of this issue and the many difficult challenges involved, including complex halachic questions that could only be addressed by a team of devoted professionals, and created Chayim Aruchim to deal with this pressing need.
