Jewish hospitalsהמשך ל 2309

Dear Rabbi Dr. Halperin,

Thank you for your helpful response.

I have another question. How does Shaare Zedek Medical Center ensure that it will continue to comply with Orthodox precepts? For example, is the hospital a private nonprofit corporation governed by a board of directors? If so, do the board members select their own successors to the board? In that case, the hospital relies on the judgment and fidelity of current board members to select successors who share their beliefs as to how the hospital should be structured. In the U.S., this type of arrangement is unstable b/c the current board members can choose to alter the organization’s mission without any formal controls or limits on their discretion. (There may be informal controls, such as threats by external funders to terminate their financial support if the hospital strays from its Orthodox orientation.) Alternatively, do the hospital’s articles or incorporation provide that an Orthodox rabbinical assembly will appoint a certain number of members to the board of directors? Etc.

Perhaps you could put me in touch with an English speaking person (ideally a lawyer) who is very familiar with the legal structure of the hospital, or some other person well situated to answer these types of questions.

Again, thank you in advance for your assistance.

Sincerely,

Robert Katz

Associate Professor of Law and Philanthropic Studies

Indiana University School of Law – Indianapolis