MONDAY: Final 2006 Lichter Lecture at UC, 'Jewish Medical Ethics Through the Eyes of Maimonides'

Each year, the Lichter Lecture Series focuses on a critical theme. This year’s three lectures, on consecutive Monday nights, feature internationally renowned Maimonides scholars.

“Jewish Medical Ethics Through the Eyes of Maimonides” will be presented at the Stratford Heights Community Center by Edward Reichman, MD, associate professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Yeshiva University.

When: Monday, Oct. 30
Reception at 6 p.m.
Lecture at 7 p.m.

Where: Stratford Heights Community Center

All the lectures are free and open to the public and include a reception, which will be observant of Kosher dietary law. To RSVP, call 513-556-2297.

Dr. Reichman’s talk will illustrate how the rabbinic authorities utilize the works of Maimonides to solve the Jewish medical ethical dilemmas of the 21st century.

“Would that Maimonides could personally share his wisdom and inform the dialogue on contemporary medical issues, but our lecture will discuss how he might have resolved these issues based on his writings,” he says. Debate over religious medical issues is “healthy and essential for many reasons.”

“Clarity of vision derives from debate and discussion. Each approach and religion informs the discourse in unique ways and leads to more meaningful and nuanced policies.”

For those who’d like to further explore the ties between modern medicine and Jewish law, Dr. Reichman recommends the work of Fred Rosner, the second speaker in this year’s Lichter series.

“Dr. Rosner’s works introduced me to Jewish medical ethics and they remain the ideal basic introduction to the field,” says Reichman, who worked with Rosner while still an intern. “His translation of Dr. Steinberg’s ‘Encyclopedia of Jewish Medical Ethics’ is also a new and valuable addition to the literature.”

The Internet has completely revolutionized his ability to expand his own knowledge on the subject.

“While I used to spend countless hours in the great libraries of the world, I now do the majority of research on the Internet or with computer databases,” Reichman says. “The medical historical research still requires library visitation, but even this field has much online. I do miss the discussions with the librarians and scholars amongst the library stacks.”

Edward Reichman, MD, is an associate professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Montefiore Medical Center, and the Department of Epidemiology and Population Health at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. He earned his medical degree in 1990 from Albert Einstein College of Medicine and received Rabbinic Ordination in 1997 from Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary.

Dr. Reichman is the author of more than two dozen articles published in scholarly and theological journals. He has conducted research on the history of medicine, bioethics, Jewish, and hematology at the Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine in London (now called the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at UCL), the Cambridge University Institute for Geniza Manuscript Research, the Hadassah Medical School in Jerusalem, the Hartmann Institute of Philosophy in Jerusalem, Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the Bronx Municipal Hospital.

Complimentary parking will be available in Stratford Heights garage.

Department of Judaic Studies
McMicken College of Arts and Sciences
University of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, OH 45221-0169
513-556-9116
Judaic.Studies@uc.edu

The Lichter Lectures in Judaic Studies are made possible by the Jacob and Jennie L. Lichter Fund of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati

About the Department of Judaic Studies