Contributors included Dayan Ivan Binstock of the London Beit Din, Rabbi Yehuda Finchas, head of the Torat Habayit Medical Halacha Institute, representatives from Jewish Care and Chana, and Stephen Silverman, director of investigations and enforcement at the Campaign Against Antisemitism. Expert clinicians also shared their experience across a range of medical specialisms.
The programme covered reproductive medicine, including pre-implantation genetic diagnosis and male-factor infertility, alongside end-of-life decisions and the arrangements required following a death.
Sessions highlighted how halachah can inform decisions around treatment, fertility and burial, while underscoring the importance of communication between medical professionals, patients and religious advisers.
Practical considerations were also addressed. Representatives from the burial society explained the procedures that may need to be completed when a Jewish patient dies, including obtaining a burial certificate, helping clinicians understand the time-sensitive arrangements that can arise and respond with appropriate sensitivity.
One of the day’s key discussions brought together a palliative care specialist, a social worker and a rabbi to examine decision-making at the end of life.
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In the panel, the clinician considered the patient’s physical condition and medical options, the rabbi explored the spiritual and religious questions, and the social worker addressed the needs of family members.
The discussion highlighted the importance of considering the whole person, rather than focusing exclusively on a diagnosis or treatment plan. It also explored how patients’ religious beliefs, family circumstances and wishes can be taken into account when navigating difficult decisions.
Dr Veronique Berman, scientific adviser at Chana, said the opportunity to bring together professionals from different disciplines was central to the conference’s value.
“The strength of the day was in bringing together highly professional people, both in the audience and at the podium,” she said.
“The emphasis throughout was on holistic care: understanding the person beyond their presenting issue, taking into account their physical, emotional and spiritual needs, and situating their care within the context of their family and religious life. The goal throughout was to make the medical journey the best it can possibly be, at every stage of life.”
The conference also addressed challenges facing Jewish healthcare professionals, including rising antisemitism in medical settings. Discussions considered how discrimination can be challenged and how equality and anti-racism policies can better protect Jewish staff and patients.
Safeguarding was another focus, with sessions examining radicalisation and the Prevent duty, which requires specified authorities in England and Wales to have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism.
Chana, which supports couples experiencing infertility and other reproductive-health challenges, said hosting the conference reflected its commitment to care that combines medical expertise with emotional, practical and religious understanding.
The charity works with medical and rabbinic advisers to help couples navigate fertility treatment and related decisions, recognising that the experience can involve questions extending well beyond clinical treatment.
By bringing doctors, social-care professionals and religious representatives into the same conversation, the conference sought to build relationships that could continue beyond the event itself.
Its organisers hope that improving understanding of Jewish life and religious practice will help healthcare professionals deliver care that is both clinically appropriate and respectful of individual needs.
The second conference built on the initiative established in Brighton two years earlier, extending its focus on inclusion, professional collaboration and the challenges Jewish patients and staff can encounter within healthcare.
