Vision & Expansion

Lakewood, NJ / Netanya, Israel – Senior leadership of CHEMED – Center for Health Education, Medicine & Dentistry, which operates a large community medical center in Lakewood, New Jersey, recently conducted an extensive professional and halachic visit to the Sanz Medical Center–Laniado Hospital in Israel. The visit was held as part of CHEMED’s preparations for a significant expansion of medical services in Lakewood, including plans to establish a new Medical Village and hospital facility.

CHEMED provides comprehensive healthcare services to Lakewood’s residents, the vast majority of whom are observant Jewish families from across the communal spectrum. Following the receipt of substantial federal funding, the organization is advancing plans to expand its clinical footprint while maintaining the highest standards of both medical excellence and strict adherence to Jewish law

The CHEMED delegation included Dr. David Friedman, Chief Executive Officer; Dr. Yitzchak Shechter, Director of Innovation; Mr. Moshe Bauman, Administrative Director; Rabbi Menashe Miller, Lakewood Deputy Mayor for Administration and Public Affairs; and Ms. Pilar, Director of Development.

The visit opened with an extended meeting with His Eminence, the Sanz-Klauzenburger Rebbe, shlita. The delegation presented CHEMED’s current operations and outlined plans, with G-d’s help, to establish a major medical center in Lakewood that will operate in full accordance with the most rigorous standards of both medicine and halacha. They sought guidance in addressing the complex intersection of advanced healthcare delivery and Jewish law.

The Rebbe, shlita, expressed strong interest in the initiative and shared the founding vision of his father,Rabbi Yekusiel Yehuda Halberstam, zt”l, the Klauzenburger Rebbe and founder of the Sanz Medical Center– Laniado Hospital. He emphasized the institution’s guiding principle: Uncompromising observance of Torahlaw according to the Shulchan Aruch and leading halachic authorities, alongside providing medical care withgenuine compassion, sensitivity, and concern for patients and their families. The Rebbe concluded by offeringhis heartfelt blessing for the success of CHEMED’s plans and for Divine assistance in all their work on behalf ofthe Jewish people.

The delegation then met with the hospital’s rabbinic leadership, Rabbi Moshe Levinstein, shlita, and RabbiHillel Deutsch, shlita, together with Mr. Nadav Chen, CEO of Laniado Hospital; Rabbi Hillel Kassman, Directorof Religious Affairs; and senior staff members. In-depth discussions addressed key halachic issues in modernmedicine, including Shabbat observance, kashrut, sanctity of life, and priestly purity, with presentations ofinnovative solutions—some incorporating advanced medical technologies.

Dr. Friedman expressed deep admiration for the scope of clinical activity at Laniado Hospital and its meticulous halachic oversight. “What is being accomplished here is a true sanctification of G-d’s Name, with an impact felt worldwide,” he said. “This visit has profoundly influenced the way I view our mission and responsibilities in Lakewood.”

Mr. Chen presented an overview of Laniado Hospital’s rapid growth in recent years, highlighting its clinical quality benchmarks and its recent ranking first among all Israeli hospitals in patient experience, as published by Israel’s Ministry of Health.

“We are privileged to help realize the visionary legacy of the Klauzenburger Rebbe, zt”l, under the guidance of his son, the Sanz-Klauzenburger Rebbe, shlita,” Mr. Chen said. “Advanced medicine, innovative technology, and rigorous clinical standards are central to our work—but above all, care is delivered with compassion and heart. Lakewood is a city of Torah and kindness, and we stand ready to assist CHEMED in every way, so that together we may continue to sanctify G-d’s Name.”