New York At The Edge: A Torah Stand Against Assisted Suicide
Dear Editor:
In a development that has sent shockwaves through Orthodox, Modern Orthodox, and broader Jewish communities, the New York State Legislature has granted final passage to the so-called “Medical Aid in Dying Act” (S138/A136). The bill, which now sits on Governor Kathy Hochul’s desk, would permit physicians to prescribe lethal medication to adults diagnosed as terminally ill and mentally competent. This is the culmination of more than a decade of legislative efforts and advocacy battles. The fate of countless New Yorkers—and the moral character of our state—now hangs in the balance.
This law is not a mere “end-of-life option.” It enshrines suicide as a legal right, strips away critical safeguards, and exposes the most vulnerable to grave risk. The legislation contains no requirement for psychiatric evaluation, despite depression being common among the terminally ill. There are no real barriers to coercion, and—perhaps most shocking—no residency requirement. This opens the door to so-called “suicide tourism,” where people from across the country could travel to New York, obtain a deadly prescription, and end their lives under state sanction. These changes are not acts of compassion but a retreat from our society’s most basic commitment to protect life.
Judaism teaches that pikuach nefesh—the preservation of life—overrides nearly every other commandment. “You shall surely guard your lives” is a foundational command. Every human being is created b’tzelem Elokim, in the image of Hashem, and every day of life is precious. Once the state says that suffering or illness can render a life worthless, it tells the weak, disabled, and despairing that their lives are expendable. The bill’s message is chilling.
In our own communities, we see examples that challenge the supposed certainties of medicine. A woman named Miriam, from Kew Gardens Hills, lived for years beyond her terminal prognosis, bringing joy to four generations. David, who helps prep the kiddush in shul on Shabbos, outlived his own diagnosis and continues to inspire friends and family. Kol yom v’yom chashuv—every single day matters.
Orthodox leaders and organizations have united in outspoken opposition. The Vaad Harabonim of Queens, Agudath Israel of America, Chayim Aruchim, and the Rabbinical Alliance of America have all condemned the bill in the strongest terms. Rabbi David Zwiebel, Executive Vice President of Agudath Israel of America, called it “a profound moral and practical misstep,” and Rabbi Yeruchim Silber, Agudah’s Director of New York Government Affairs, has repeatedly urged Governor Hochul to veto. Even the Conservative Rabbinical Assembly, in a rare alignment with Orthodox voices, reaffirmed the absolute prohibition against assisted suicide, recognizing the fundamental Jewish commitment to life.
Agudath Israel’s Chayim Aruchim division continues to offer 24-hour halachic guidance and patient advocacy for families facing medical crises, ensuring Jewish patients are not abandoned at their most vulnerable moments. Their hotline, 718-ARUCHIM (278-2446), is a lifeline.
Secular and disability advocates also sound the alarm. The Patients Rights Action Fund and National Council on Disability have documented repeated abuses in other states, including cases where patients were denied life-saving care but offered suicide drugs. Insurance companies, seeking to cut costs, sometimes substitute “aid in dying” for actual treatment. The American Medical Association continues to assert that physician-assisted suicide is fundamentally incompatible with the physician’s role as healer.
The passage of this bill leaves the final decision in the hands of Governor Hochul.
Shabsie Saphirstein
Ignore My Advice
Dear Editor:
Here are some bon mots of mine that you should now ignore. For example, my assertion that cold weather is better than warm weather—fuggedaboutit! Also, forget about my advice to get rid of some of your winter coats. There’s actually a need for puffer jackets as well as that long down coat hiding in the back of your closet. Even the knit hats with pompoms should not be tossed, even if you are not going skiing in Jackson Hole.
Also, ignore my advice to get rid of your Costco membership card. I realize that you can never have enough toilet paper, hot cups, cold cups, paper towels, and paper plates. Nor can you have enough coffee pods, Ziploc bags, and garbage bags. Now that I’ve gone through only part of my shopping list—WAIT! You can’t forget the Fabuloso, Tide, and various Lysol products. All of this is ignoring water, fruits, vegetables, eggs, and other food. What was I thinking?
Forget about what I said about no tipping. I just climbed Mt. Everest to collect my garbage cans, which were in the middle of the street. Thanks to my not heeding my own advice and giving the newspaper deliverer a tip, the newspaper was placed smack-dab in front of my door. Nothing needs to be said about giving your cleaning person double his/her wage unless you don’t mind your crystal being “accidentally” broken.
Finally, don’t heed my advice about the subways. Don’t take them unless you have to, and bring a Sefer Tehillim with you. Also, pay attention when they make changes to the F and E and insert something called the M. Happy travels! (Remember Roy Rogers?)
Debbie Horowitz
We Must Mobilize The Orthodox For The Next Election
Dear Editor:
There are over 5 million registered voters in New York City. Of that, it is estimated there are around 500,000 (10%) registered Jewish voters even though the adult Jewish population in the city is estimated to be 800,000.
Of that 800,000, 20%–25% would represent 160,000–200,000 adult Orthodox Jews.
It is our responsibility to stress that every adult Orthodox should be registered to vote. As it is, it is estimated that approximately half of the adult Jewish Orthodox population, or 80,000–100,000, are registered.
In the last mayoral election, the difference between Mamdani and Cuomo was 207,000 votes in Mamdani’s favor. So really in this past election it was too great for the Orthodox to overcome. But for future elections when the figures are more narrow, I believe that if Orthodox leadership stresses that every adult Orthodox person needs to be registered and vote, we could sway elections. Every yeshivah administration and synagogue leadership needs to press that point. Yeshivah students of voting age should be excused from learning time and should be told to vote instead. Next time, if we don’t have a spoiler as we had this time and the numbers are not as great, we could make a difference with just tens of thousands of votes. Mamdani won the majority by only three-quarters of 1%. That was a difference of approximately 17,000 votes. In another election without a spoiler, even with such a heavy turnout, I believe the Orthodox could make the difference if we utilize all the frum people we have in New York City.
Abe Fuchs
Maduro In Pajamas:
A Lesson In Purity
Dear Editor:
Good news is good news, whomever the messenger might be. This past week, we saw how a ruthless dictator allegedly involved in illicit drug trade was turned into a prisoner in pajamas in our own backyard. Nicolás Maduro, once the President of Venezuela, is now sitting in a cell in New York City. We see how he went from a leader bedecked in royal garments to an inmate housed with common criminals. Contrast this with the Jewish people who, as we read in Sefer Shemos, remained royal despite being enslaved. When the Jewish people debase our status as G-d’s chosen people by changing our names, dress, and customs, then we are truly slaves. However, “V’eileh shemos b’nei Yisroel”: we maintained our holy lifestyle and thus merited to be saved.
One dictator in history, Alexander the Great, could not fathom how the human eye far outweighed all the wealth he had amassed. As Rabbi Doniel Osher Kleinman said in a presentation given by Vayimaen, an organization dedicated to shmiras einayim, the human eye is insatiable. The eye that keeps its desires in and does not act on them is superb; all of Alexander the Great’s wealth paled in comparison to the weight of an eye that controls its natural tendencies. As the Midrash explains, the Rabbis told Alexander that if he would stop attempting to conquer more countries and instead focus on the welfare of his people, then he would live a long life. Otherwise, he would die.
Maduro claimed to be one of the people, yet he amassed great oil wealth as his people starved. Venezuelans believed in national pride, yet they were made to be meshubad to Iranian interests through cooperation with that country. People throughout the world were made to be slaves to drug addiction thanks to the prolific drug trade operating out of Venezuela. Today, Venezuela’s Pharaoh, whose insatiable eye filled his bottom line but hurt his people, has been dethroned.
Jews in Caracas can breathe easier this week. Israel’s arch-enemy, Iran, lost an ally in the Western Hemisphere. Victims of drug addiction have won a battle against drug distribution. Whatever one might think about Trump or his operation to extradite the Venezuelan dictator to the United States, the world is a better place for it. Of course, we must thank Hashem for this. And if we appreciate Hashem, then we can better appreciate the need to remain holy. Kavod Shamayim is paramount.
I myself, driven by elation, passed by the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn this past Sunday where Maduro was being held. As pro-Palestinian protesters (funded by foreign interests) cried over American money being used to extradite a foreign dictator to the U.S., I sang shira to Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Ironically, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s NYPD is guarding the prison to ward off friend and foe alike. (I believe President Trump chose New York as Maduro’s prison destination to send a message to the Mayor: foreign affairs are not your concern; don’t welcome enemies or eject friends.) We ourselves can internalize this message: be careful who you associate with; be the guardians of your own eyes.
In these six weeks of Shovavim, it is important to maintain Jewish purity. Learn the halachos, guard your eyes, and don’t fall to outside influences. Don’t give in to your desires; use your G-d-given talents to improve your life and the lives of those around you. Hashem also wants us to have kavod habriyos. Be happy with what you have and think of those who have not. This is royalty. And this is how we will merit to be redeemed not through a messenger, but by G-d alone.
Chaim Yehuda Meyer
Brooklyn, New York