Featuring Prof. David Novak, J. Richard and Dorothy Shiff Chair of Jewish Studies Emeritus at the University of Toronto. Medical Assistance in Dying accounts for 5% of all deaths in Canada and the number is rising.

How is the expansion of MAID to wider demographics affecting our understanding of disability inclusion, mental healthcare, palliative care, social supports, family, and community? Explore Jewish perspectives with guest speaker, Professor David Novak together with Amanda Achtman and Rabbi Adam Cutler followed by small group discussions on key questions and topics.

David Novak, FRSC, is University of Toronto Professor Emeritus and J. Richard and Dorothy Shiff Chair of Jewish Studies Emeritus. He received his AB from the University of Chicago in 1961, his MHL (Master of Hebrew Literature) in 1964 from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, his rabbinical diploma in 1966, and his PhD in philosophy from Georgetown University in 1971. The author of nineteen books, Dr. Novak has made many contributions to the fields of Jewish law, biomedical ethics, political theory, and Jewish-Christian Relations.
 
Adam Cutler is Senior Rabbi of Adath Israel Congregation in Toronto, where he celebrates with families at moments of joy and supports families during times of distress.
 
Amanda Achtman studied political theory in her hometown of Calgary and holds a Licentiate in Judaic Studies & Jewish-Christian Relations from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. She served as the senior advisor to a member of parliament in Ottawa on issues of foreign policy, human rights, religious freedom, and public bioethics. She is a 2023-2024 Charles Krauthammer Fellow at the Tikvah Fund and works as the ethics education and cultural engagement lead at Canadian Physicians for Life. Amanda is also the founder of Dying to Meet You, a project to promote conversations around suffering, death, meaning, and hope.

Co-Sponsor: Dying to Meet You