Brotherhood and Sisterhood are sponsoring a series of three informative Sunday breakfast discussions at CBE, to be held on October 20, 2024, February 2, 2025, and April 27, 2025. 

The topic for our October 20 session is “Bioethics and How it’s Relevant.” The event will be chaired by Sisterhood President Sara Bonder, and Jay Hurewitz, Brotherhood President will be the Moderator. We will speak with Rabbi Weitzman two Bioethicist Professors, from SUNY Albany and Albany Medical College, to discuss matters including:

·         Foundational principles, including in Judaism and other faiths, that guide bioethical decisions

·         Reproductive ethics, including contraception, family planning, abortion, IVF and surrogacy

·         End-of-life approaches, including palliative care, life-sustaining treatments and cremation

·         Organ donation and transplantation

·         Vaccinations and public health mandates

Monika Piotrowska is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University at Albany, SUNY. Her research addresses conceptual and ethical issues in genetics and biotechnology, with a focus on emerging technologies such as innovative reproduction, gene editing, and species revival. Monika earned her Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Utah, where she specialized in the humanization of nonhuman animals. Her work has appeared in leading bioethics journals, including the Journal of Medical Ethics, The American Journal of Bioethics, and The Hastings Center Report. An active contributor to bioethics discourse, Monika has collaborated with institutions such as the Hastings Center, the National Institutes of Health, and the Nuffield Council of Bioethics (UK).

Pierce Randall is an Assistant Professor at the Alden March Bioethics Institute at Albany Medical College and part of Albany Medical Center’s Clinical Ethics Consultation service. He received a doctorate in philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania in 2019. His research focuses on public health ethics, reproductive ethics, and medical decision-making. Prior to coming to Albany, he was an ethics fellow at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis.

Rabbi Greg D. Weitzman (he/him) is the fourteenth senior Rabbi in Congregation Beth Emeth’s history. He is the first to holdThe Rabbi Scott L. Shpeen Senior Rabbinic Chair.  From 2015 - 2022 he served as the assistant and associate Rabbi of Congregation Rodeph Sholom in New York City during which he helped to establish new communities and pathways into the congregation. A graduate of Hobart and William Smith Colleges (2005) and ordained by the Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion (2015), he has been a builder of communities, programs, and learning. From the youngest members of the community to the oldest, Rabbi Weitzman is a calm and warm presence. Rabbi Weitzman is a well-respected teacher of Torah, an avid guitar player and musician, and proud supporter of Israel. His work has included hunger advocacy, inclusion, interfaith dialogue and Israel advocacy. Throughout his time working in New York City, Rabbi Weitzman helped to create Sholom Sprouts, a home for young children and the grown-ups who love them, which helped to innovate worship services and educational experiences for young families to find connection in the Jewish community. Rabbi Weitzman met his wife Ashley, a Speech Pathologist, after spending many years at the URJ Eisner Camp as a camper, counselor, song leader, and Education Director. Currently, Rabbi Weitzman is a police chaplain with Albany Police Department holding the honorary rank of Lieutenant. He is a member of the Capital Region Board of Rabbis and an honorary member of the Albany JCC Board of Directors.