The Nuremberg Racial Laws: The End of Jewish Medical Teaching in Germany. Who Were the Last Jewish Medical Professors in Berlin?

BACKGROUND: On 7 April 1933, the Nazi Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service was enacted. The law triggered the dismissal of most Jewish medical staff from German universities. A few Jewish professors in Berlin were permitted to continue their academic activity with restrictions. Those professors were gradually dismissed as laws and restrictions were enforced. OBJECTIVES: To identify the last Jewish medical professors who, despite severe restrictions, continued their academic duties and prepared students for their examinations in Berlin after the summer of 1933. METHODS: We reviewed dissertations written by the medical faculty of Berlin from 1933 to 1937 and identified Jewish professors who mentored students during those years. RESULTS: Thirteen Jewish tutors instructed dissertations for the medical examinations after the Nazi regime seized power. They were employees of different university hospitals, including the Jewish hospitals. We did not identify Aryan students instructed by Jewish professors. The professors were active in different medical disciplines. Half of the reviewed dissertations were in the disciplines of surgery and gynecology. The last Jewish tutors were dismissed in October 1935. However, some of their studies were submitted for examination after that date. CONCLUSIONS: After the Nazi regime seized power, academic activities and medical research by Jewish professors declined but did not stop. However, these professors worked with only Jewish students on their theses. Most dissertations were approved and examined after the Jewish academics were dismissed by the university, in some cases even after they left Germany.

Buddhism.

After Christianity, Judaism, and Hinduism, Buddhism is the 4th major religion of the world. The Pew Research Center estimates that as of 2020, about 500 million people (or 6.6% of the world's population) practice Buddhism. China has the largest Buddhist population at 254 million, followed by Thailand at 66 million, and then Myanmar and Japan at about 41 million.

Judaism.

Judaism offers a rich body of traditional beliefs and practices surrounding end-of-life, death, mourning, and the afterlife. A more detailed understanding of these topics might prove helpful to clinicians seeking guidance for how best to care for Jewish patients, to anyone supporting dying individuals, or to anyone interested in learning more about the subject. The objectives of this chapter are to examine Jewish approaches to key bioethical issues surrounding palliative care, to analyze meaning-making rituals following a loss, at a funeral, and throughout mourning, and to explore Jewish beliefs in an afterlife. Research was collected from sacred texts, legal codes, modern rabbinic responsa literature, and secondary sources. Core, guiding principles include human beings' creation "in the image of God," an obligation to save life, an obligation to mitigate pain, a prohibition against self-harm and hastening death, respect for the dead, and ritualized mourning periods ("shiva," "shloshim," and "shanah"), which feature special liturgy ("kaddish") and practices. Judaism is a religion that values thorough questioning, debate, and argumentation. It also encompasses diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds, and various denominations. Many Jews are also unaffiliated with a movement or rarely engage with traditional law altogether. For all of these reasons, no summary can comprehensively encapsulate the wide range of opinions that exist around any given topic. That said, what follows is a detailed overview of traditional Jewish approaches to artificial nutrition/hydration, extubation, dialysis, euthanasia and more. It also outlines rituals surrounding and following death. Finally, views and beliefs of the afterlife are presented, as they often serve to imbue meaning and comfort in times of grief, uncertainty, and transition.

Islam.

Islam is one of the religions of the book, others being Judaism, Christianity, and Sabianism. It is the second largest religion in the world, the first being Christianity.

Support and Informational Needs of Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Women Coping with Advanced Cancer: A Pilot Observational Study.

In Israel, as in other countries, the emotional and physical needs of minority populations receiving palliative care, are largely unknown. The ultra-Orthodox Jewish sector is one such minority population. This study's goal was to identify perceived social support, desire to receive information about illness and prognosis, and willingness to disclose information to others. Various measures assessing perception of social support, psychological symptoms and information disclosure were completed. Fifty-one women consented to participate; approximately 50% of participants had disclosed the diagnosis to their rabbi or a friend, in addition to their spouse. Almost all of the participants would want to be told if their condition were worsening (86.3%), yet only 17.6% reported that their doctor had discussed future care options if their health situation were to worsen. Overall, participants felt that the level of support they received was high and reported low levels of mental distress. This is the first known study regarding perceptions and needs of ultra-Orthodox Jewish women with advanced-stage cancer. Both diagnosis disclosure and palliative care options should be addressed and discussed with these patients so they may make important end-of-life decisions.

Religious Doctrine and Attitudes Toward Vaccination in Jewish Law.

Individual and herd immunity against communicable diseases requires high rates of timely and complete vaccination, particularly in closely knit communities, densely populated areas, and places with high influx of potentially infected individuals. Recent outbreaks of COVID-19 and, previously, measles in religious Jewish communities of New York, as well as the rise of vaccine hesitancy in faith communities, call for the examination of Jewish attitudes toward vaccination. In this article, we examine religious doctrine and guidance on vaccination in Orthodox (including Modern Orthodox, Chabad-Lubavich, and Ultra-Orthodox), Conservative, and Reform denominations of Judaism and apply these principles to vaccinations against measles, human papillomavirus (HPV), and COVID-19. We found that the leaders and scholars in these three major denominations of Judaism are uniform in their strong support, often to the point of mandate, for the principles of vaccination. Support for vaccination is deeply rooted in the Torah, Jewish law, and contemporary rulings of poskim (Jewish legal scholars). These principles are applied by each denomination in strong support of measles and COVID-19 vaccination, though there is less certainty in their support of vaccination against HPV.

Commentary on "Circumcision".

This commentary draws upon the author's experience in bioethics and as a physician, ordained Rabbi, and certified Mohel (a Jewish professional qualified to perform infant male circumcisions (MC)). People's identity and adherence to a religious belief are frequently cited reasons for deciding whether to circumcise their male children. For Jewish and Muslim males, circumcision is considered essential. In this commentary, the author uses his medical, religious, and bioethical knowledge, expertise, and experience to address common arguments used in opposing nontherapeutic male circumcision of minors. In these narratives, half of the parents agreed with circumcision, and half did not. The parents against circumcision cite human rights violations, security, privacy, and bodily integrity issues and refer to circumcision as genital mutilation, while those who agree argue that circumcision should be done for religious reasons to prevent health issues, promote hygiene and cleanness, avoid cancer, or for later sexual enjoyment. After evaluating the evidence, the author states that parents should be free to either consent or decline MC for a son. Though a reoccurring theme in these narratives was for mothers to leave the circumcision decision up to their male partners, the author concludes that women have considerable power regarding the decision.

[Kurt Huldschinsky: A pioneer in the struggle against rickets]. / Kurt Huldschinsky: Ein Vorreiter im Kampf gegen Rachitis.

Kurt Huldschinsky (1883-1940) was a German pediatrician who was one of the international leaders in the field of rickets research between the two world wars. After his medical studies, he served at the Kaiserin-Auguste-Victoria-Haus in Berlin and at the University Children's Hospital in Vienna, among other places. After World War I, he worked with the famous orthopedist Konrad Biesalski at the Oskar-Helene-Heim for the healing and education of frail children in Berlin. Here he was the first to prove that exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from mercury vapor lamps ("artificial sunlight") could cure rickets in young children, which is mostly caused by vitamin D deficiency. He published his discovery in this journal - the Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift [German Medical Weekly] - in 1919. For this groundbreaking scientific achievement and his further research into the prevention and treatment of rickets, Huldschinsky was awarded the Otto Heubner Prize of the German Association of Pediatrics in 1926. He was even nominated for the Nobel Prize in Medicine. As a Jew, however, he had to flee Germany from the National Socialists in 1933/34. Together with his wife and daughter, he emigrated to Egypt, where he died in Alexandria on October 31, 1940. As Huldschinsky was for many decades almost forgotten, this article recalls the life and work of a meritorious physician and scientist.

Cryopreserving Jewish Motherhood: Egg Freezing in Israel and the United States.

Oocyte cryopreservation (i.e., egg freezing) is one of the newest forms of assisted reproduction and is increasingly being used primarily by two groups of women: (1) young cancer patients at risk of losing their fertility through cytotoxic chemotherapy (i.e., medical egg freezing); and (2) single professionals in their late 30s who are facing age-related fertility decline in the absence of reproductive partners (i.e., elective egg freezing). Based on a binational ethnographic study, this article examines the significance of egg freezing among Jewish women in Israel and the United States. As they face the Jewish maternal imperative, these women are turning to egg freezing to relieve both medical and marital uncertainties. In both secular and religious Jewish contexts, egg freezing is now becoming naturalized as acceptable and desirable precisely because it cryopreserves Jewish motherhood, keeping reproductive options open for Jewish women, and serving as a protective self-preservation technology within their pronatalist social environments.

[MEASLES VACCINATION IN CONTEMPORARY HALAKHAH].

INTRODUCTION: One of the features of the recent measles outbreak world-wide has been the resurgence of the opposition to vaccination in the religious Jewish community. The present article presents the positions of a broad spectrum of Orthodox rabbinical rulings ranging from Haredi to National Religious to Modern Orthodox on this issue. The overwhelming majority of the halakhic authorities cited are in favor of the vaccination of both adults and children. It is noteworthy that in their decisions the rabbis rely on mainstream medical expertise in relation to the threat to both individual and public health as a result of non-vaccination. They also demonstrate awareness of the arguments of those opposed to vaccination and find ways to refute them. Nevertheless, there are vaccinations such as the one against human papillomavirus infection that are not approved by many rabbis. In order to ensure adequate vaccination-induced immunity to highly infectious diseases in Israel it is vital that the medical community is aware of the normative halakhic position, and is able, if necessary, to explain it to the religious population. This need is even more pressing in the midst of the present COVID-19 pandemic, since the success of the vaccination program depends upon the voluntary cooperation of all sectors of the population, and statistically, the religious community would appear to have a comparatively higher infection rate than other groups.

Committing to endangerment: medical teams in the age of corona in Jewish ethics.

Doctors have been treating infectious diseases for hundreds of years, but the risk they and other medical professionals are exposed to in an epidemic has always been high. At the front line of the present war against COVID-19, medical teams are endangering their lives as they continue to treat patients suffering from the disease. What is the degree of danger that a medical team must accept in the face of a pandemic? What are the theoretical justifications for these risks? This article offers answers to these questions by citing opinions based on Jewish ethical thought that has been formulated down through the ages. According to Jewish ethics, the obligation to assist and care for patients is based on many commandments found in the Bible and on rulings in the Responsa literature. The ethical challenge is created when treating the sick represents a real existential danger to the caregivers and their families. This consideration is relevant for all dangerous infectious diseases and particularly for the coronavirus that has struck around the world and for which there is as yet no cure. Many rabbis over the years have offered the religious justifications for healing in a general sense and especially in cases of infectious diseases as they have a bearing on professional and communal obligations. They have compared the ethical expectations of doctors to those of soldiers but have not sanctioned taking risks where there is insufficient protection or where there is a danger to the families of the medical professionals.

Religiosity Level and Mammography Performance Among Arab and Jewish Women in Israel.

This study compared mammography performance by religiosity level among Arab (weighted n = 103,347) and Jewish women (weighted n = 757,956) in Israel aged 50-74, using data from the 2017 National Social Survey of the Central Bureau of Statistics. In the Survey, women were asked regarding mammogram performance in the 2 years prior. Mammography performance was 78.2% among Jewish women and 64.8% among Arab women. Among Jewish women, self-identifying as "Very religious" and "Somewhat religious" was associated with lower mammography performance compared to being 'non-religious.' The association was in the opposite direction among Arab women. When tailoring interventions to increase mammography performance among ethnically diverse groups, planners should consider women's religiosity.

Top Ten Tips Palliative Care Clinicians Should Know About Caring for Jewish Patients.

Judaism, one of the world's oldest religions, claims an estimated 14.3 million members worldwide. There is great diversity in terms of identity, practice, and belief among people who identify as Jewish. As of 2017, 40% of the global Jewish community resided in the United States, making it essential for palliative care clinicians to understand religious and cultural issues related to their serious illness care. In this article, we will discuss 10 important concepts relevant to the inpatient care, advance care planning, and bereavement needs of Jewish patients and families.

Can Orthodox Jewish Patients Undergo Palliative Extubation? A Challenging Ethics Case Study.

According to Jewish law/ethics, continuous life-sustaining therapy may not be withdrawn after its introduction, unless the patient has improved and no longer has a medical indication for the treatment. We report the case of an 88-year-old Orthodox Jewish patient, on invasive mechanical ventilation, with severe anoxic brain injury after multiple cardiac arrests. Although the patient's son informed the palliative care team that his father did not want to be in pain or to linger in a vegetative state when terminally ill, the mechanical ventilation was keeping him alive with a poor neurological prognosis. Additionally, the patient had previously stated his wish to observe Orthodox Jewish principles regarding end-of-life care. After extensive discussion, the family Rabbi clarified that it would be acceptable to withdraw mechanical ventilation if there were a "reasonable expectation" he would breathe on his own for a "reasonable amount of time." Thus, if the patient's death were to occur, it would not be an immediate consequence the normal ventilator weaning process. Following intermediation by the hospital Rabbi, the definition of what would be a "reasonable expectation" and "reasonable amount of time" was established by the family Rabbi as "over 50%" and "on the order of hours," respectively. Following pulmonary consultation, the patient underwent palliative extubation and, 12 hours after the procedure, died comfortably surrounded by the family. In conclusion, the collaborative and interdisciplinary work among the family Rabbi, hospital Rabbi, and the various medical teams allowed the development of a plan that met all of the patient's personal and religious wishes and beliefs.

O judeu, a mulher e o psicanalista: um modelo de vínculo social não-segregativo / The jew, the woman and the psychoanalyst: a model of non-segregative social bond

ABSTRACT: This article demonstrates how the universal produces segregation. It identifies what is common to the Jew, to the woman and the psychoanalyst from the universal formula defined by Lacan as "all" [tout]. Here the Jew is caught up in the model of analysis of the process of segregation. This article approaches the "not-all" [past-tout], a concept invented by Lacan, which designates the unlimited as a mode of response to segregation. The method chosen here consists of studying the texts by both Freud and Lacan on identification, racism and segregation. Approaching the concept of segregation through the universal and identification means taking into account the reality of the unique and singular jouissance of each subject.

Resumo: Este artigo demonstra como o universal produz segregação. Identifica o que é comum ao judeu, à mulher e ao psicanalista, a partir da fórmula universal definida por Lacan como "tudo" [tout]. O judeu é abordado no modelo de análise do processo de segregação. Este artigo aborda o "não todo" [past-tout], conceito criado por Lacan, que designa o ilimitado como forma de resposta à segregação. O método consiste em estudar os textos de Freud e Lacan sobre identificação, racismo e segregação. Abordar o conceito de segregação pelo universal e pela identificação significa levar em conta a realidade do gozo único e singular de cada sujeito.

[MY GLORIOUS BROTHERS - JEWISH DOCTORS ON THE RESISTANCE FRONT AGAINST NAZIS AND THEIR COLLABORATORS].

INTRODUCTION: Many Jewish doctors in the Holocaust - in ghettos, concentration and extermination camps and in the forests - displayed courage, valor and sacrifice in the resistance front against the Nazis and their allies. The scope of their actions was broad: active resistance in the underground and rebellion movements or in the lines of partisans in the forests; hiding and saving Jews; smuggling medicines; preparing false medical records; secretly conducting surgery and other treatments; refusing the demands to submit lists of patients and workers, thus sentencing them to death; staying by the sick and the needy in the ghettos, even when they could escape, and many more. All this was done out of truth to their conscience, sometimes even beyond their commitment to the doctor's oath, placing themselves in uncertain situations, in distress, hunger, oppression and humiliation, risking their own lives and those of their families. It is admirable how those degrees of courage, bravery, willpower and sacrifice could develop out of such terrible physical and mental distress. The resistance was an extensive wide-ranging occurrence among the Jewish doctors and not one of just a few individuals. This article presents a number of examples of diverse forms of resistance, of individuals as well as of groups of physicians.

Disgust sensitivity and kosher food preferences among the non-Jewish population in the US.

About $200 billion of kosher-certified foods are purchased each year in the US, and companies can pay up to $100,000 to private agencies to certify that their products meet kosher standards. Although kosher certification is ostensibly for the purpose of Jewish religious observance, the vast majority of people who buy kosher food are not Jewish. In this study, we examine the psychological drivers of these purchases among people who are not Jewish. Our study found that people with high levels of contamination disgust sensitivity were more likely to prefer kosher food, which is often marketed in a manner that implies that it has fewer contaminants. The effect of contamination disgust sensitivity on preference for kosher food was partially mediated by perceptions that kosher food rated highly on dimensions related to oral disgust (food rejection) rather than on dimensions related to moral disgust. Moderated mediation was significant for the factor of subjective knowledge, such that the mediation effect only occurred among participants who reported high levels of knowledge about kosher food. Strength of religious affiliation was a marginally significant covariate, as people who reported high levels of affiliation with organized religion had a greater preference for kosher food.

[Influence of culture and religion on the treatment of cancer patients]. / Einfluss von Kultur und Religion auf die Therapie von Krebspatienten.

Religion, which is one of the most important sources of human identity, has so far hardly been taken into account in the clinic. In the largely secularized society of Germany, this has played a highly subordinate role. Currently, however, the development towards a multireligious society is emerging, which will also be reflected in everyday medical care. Disease and mortality in patients can affect different cultural-religious spheres. Although distinction between cultural and religious aspects is possible, it is not necessary for clinical practice. In the situation of oncological therapy, questions may arise which must be answered differently in the religions Christianity, Judaism and Islam and which should be taken into account when selecting therapy. The consideration of cultural-religious rules can intensify the patient's acceptance, but it can also impair it in case of disregard. Such peculiarities can be the separation into male and female spheres or the restriction of certain auxiliary substances or drugs (blood products, narcotics). Kübler-Ross's phase model is suitable for determining where cultural-religious sensitivities should be taken into account in the phases of disease and how cultural-religious offerings can benefit the course of therapy. Due to large individual, regional, cultural and confessional differences, no systematic catalogue of procedures can be provided here. However, knowledge of such differences, more sensitive interaction with patients and their families and cooperation with hospital pastors can strengthen the relationship of trust between doctor and patient and thus improve the conditions for successful oncological therapy. These aspects should not be underestimated when treating people of other faiths in Germany's secular society.

Educational Intervention Enhances Clinician Awareness of Christian, Jewish, and Islamic Teachings around End-of-Life Care.

BACKGROUND: Patients' religious and spiritual values impact their goals and perception of illness, especially at the end of life (EOL). According to the Joint Commission, identifying spiritual beliefs may improve cultural competency and patient-centered care. However, clinicians may be uncomfortable discussing spirituality and unaware of basic religious teachings. OBJECTIVES: To assess clinician understanding and knowledge of key Christian, Jewish, and Islamic teachings around EOL care before and after a one-hour educational intervention through video podcast. DESIGN: After literature review and consultation with religious leaders, a pre- and post-test (10 questions per religion plus demographic questions) to assess knowledge of Christian, Jewish, and Islamic teachings and an educational video podcast were developed. The pretest was administered to healthcare providers, followed by a one-hour educational intervention through a video podcast. Next, a post-test was administered. SUBJECTS: Seventy-three healthcare providers participated in this study. MEASUREMENTS: Differences between pretest and post-test scores were analyzed employing paired t-test tests using SPSS software. RESULTS: The median score on the pretest was Christian: 6 [2-9], Jewish: 6 [4-10], and Islamic: 6 [2-8]. After the educational intervention, the median Christian, Jewish, and Islamic scores improved to 8 [4-10], 9 [6-10], and 10 [3-10], respectively (p < 0.0001). Additionally, the total pretest median score improved from 17 [10-24] to 27 [16-30]. CONCLUSIONS: A one-hour educational intervention through video podcast significantly improved understanding of Christian, Jewish, and Islamic teachings around EOL care. The video podcast enabled easy distribution of the educational session to multiple facilities and providers. Additional research is needed to determine the longitudinal outcomes and impact on patient outcomes of this intervention.

[PHYSICIANS RIGHTEOUS AMONG THE NATIONS AND OTHER HEROES].

INTRODUCTION: As of 1.1.2013, out of 24,811 persons awarded the status of Righteous Among the Nations, 245 (1%) were physicians and 31 were medical students. They were active in helping and saving Jews in various ways: surgery for hiding signs of Jewish identity, hospitalizations, smuggling medical supplies into the ghettos, providing false documents, hiding people and active fighting. We must remember them and pay them homage. We are equally obligated to the Jewish physicians, who saved the lives of other Jews during the Holocaust, at the risk of their own lives.