Organ donations kosher
ORGAN donation isn’t against Jewish law, despite what you might think – that was the message from a number of senior rabbis and community leaders who joined forces with other faith groups at an event organised by the Organ and Tissue Authority last week.
ORGAN donation isn’t against Jewish law, despite what you might think – that was the message from a number of senior rabbis and community leaders who joined forces with other faith groups at an event organised by the Organ and Tissue Authority last week.
The gathering marked the release of a special education kit about organ donation targeting Australians from diverse groups. Speaking at the event, Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing Catherine King said, “Faith and cultural leaders today united in their support to assist their communities in understanding that organ and tissue donation is considered to be an act of compassion and generosity.
“In launching the ‘DonateLife… the greatest gift’ community education kit, we now provide to the leaders of their communities, who have shown such enthusiasm for promoting awareness of organ and tissue donation, the tools to begin to integrate this important issue into their communities.”
Among those attending the event on behalf of the Jewish community were Emanuel Synagogue’s Rabbi Jeffrey Kamins, Organisation of Rabbis of Australasia president Rabbi Moshe Gutnick, The Great Synagogue’s Rabbi Jeremy Lawrence, Rabbinic Council of New South Wales president and Sydney Beth Din’s Rabbi Yorum Ulman and Executive Council of Australian Jewry chief executive Peter Wertheim.
Buddhist, Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Muslim and Hindu leaders were also in attendance. Rabbi Ulman said that protocols are being developed to facilitate halachically-sanctioned organ donation and it will hopefully be in place by the end of the year.
“When a living person donates an organ it is a great mitzvah to save someone’s life and we encourage that very much, but when it comes to donating organs at death, it is more difficult,” Rabbi Ulman said.
“We are working to establish a protocol based on the same system that exists in Israel, where there are extra tests to determine that a person is halachically dead, as well as to create an independent supervision from the rabbinate to make sure everything is done according to Jewish law.”
Executive Council of Australian Jewry executive director Peter Wertheim said: “It is a generous act that each of us has the potential for and any of us may one day benefit from.”
JOSHUA LEVI
Leaders at the Organ and Tissue Authority event last week.
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