Medical Ethics of Stem Cell Research and In-Vitro Fertilization Focus of Israeli Conference Sponsored by Yeshiva University

A major conference will be held in Israel entitled, “Creating in God’s Image: Ethical Challenges in Stem Cell Research and In Vitro Fertilization”. The 2-day conference will feature leading Jewish scientists and rabbinical leaders discussing the ethical implications of medical research using human stem cells and the Jewish position on new developments in IVF treatment. Yeshiva University will be cosponsoring the event with several other institutions, including Bar Ilan University (hosting), Columbia University’s Center for Bioethics, and the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations.

Rabbi Kenneth Brander, Dean of the newly established Center for the Jewish Future, a division of Yeshiva University, said: “As fast as scientists push back the frontiers of biological research, Rabbinical leaders and medical professionals at Yeshiva University are working to clarify the moral and legal boundaries to their research according to Jewish teachings.”

Added Howard Weisband, Yeshiva University’s Senior Advisor on Israel Affairs, “Yeshiva University has always taken the lead in bringing major contemporary issues to the forefront of the global Jewish community, and scientists and Rabbinical leaders from Yeshiva University will utilize this conference as an opportunity to explore the implications of the medical issues, offering applications of the ethical principles based upon Jewish tradition.”

The 2 day conference will feature leading scientists from Israel and the United States, focusing on such contemporary medical issues, and tying in the Jewish view, including the science behind stem cell research, and IVF’s potential applications in medicine. The conference will also include a special breakout session on infertility and women’s issues for female medical ethics advisors in Israel. Lectures will be presented in English and simultaneously translated into Hebrew.

Yeshiva University faculty members taking part in the conference will include:

 Rabbi Dr. Moshe Tendler (Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary of Yeshiva University’s New York campus) who will give a session on Future Directions of Stem Cell Research.
Rabbi Kenneth Brander (Dean of the Center for the Jewish Future, a new division of Yeshiva University) who will take part in a panel discussion on Jewish Issues Related to Infertility and IVF Treatment
 Dr. Eddie Reichman, Attending Physician, Dept. of Emergency Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University

For further information about Yeshiva University in Israel and their involvement in this Conference, please contact Chevy Weiss at 02-991-1387.

Yeshiva University is a top-tier American research institution whose guiding vision is informed by a common quest: to ennoble students’ deepest human needs for purpose and discovery, and to enable them to transform their communities and society through meaningful action. On the undergraduate level, this is embodied in the dual curriculum under which students pursue liberal arts, sciences, and business in conjunction with comprehensive Jewish studies. On the graduate level, the university’s mission emphasizes the advancement of knowledge in medicine, science, law, social work, psychology, education, advanced Jewish and rabbinical studies, and the moral dimensions and values that govern professional practitioners.

Yeshiva University in Israel which embodies the American campus in vision and philosophy, has recently expanded its programs to include accredited graduate school academic programs, as well as increased activities and programs for North American students studying in Israeli yeshivot and seminaries. It has begun campus renovation to offer greater on-site programs and services under the banner of a well established American university.