Lila Kagedan is passionate about health, ethics, religion, and education. In addition to her studies at Yeshiva Maharat, she works in clinical ethics, both in hospital settings and as a consultant in Israel, Europe and across North America. Lila supports families and patients making challenging health-related decisions and offers ethics training and support to health care providers, physicians, residents and medical students. Lila has lectured internationally on topics such as end-of-life decision-making, advanced directives, pastoral care, palliative care, care-giving, and informed consent. Lila often serves as a chaplain in healthcare settings such as hospitals and hospices both for Jews and for patients of other faiths. She has both lectured and written responsa on Jewish medical ethics as well as on the intersection of gender, ethics, and halacha.
Education, innovation, and communication are at the core of Lila's clinical work, and and these same values are central to her religious life. In 2011, concerned with the rising prices of Jewish day school, she founded the Sulam School in Brookline, Massachusetts. Sulam is a day school-style and caliber program that offers K-5 immersive Hebrew and Judaic studies instruction in a pluralistic, academic, rigorous, and (of course) fun environment during after-school hours. Sulam has more than quadrupled in size since its launch and has created a necessary and viable third option beyond day school and Hebrew school for Jewish students in the Boston area. As a founding member of the Nitzan group, Lila is also working to support other Jewish educators who have founded similar programs across North America.
Lila continues to enjoy her studies at Yeshivat Maharat and at Harvard University. She is eager to bring both sides of her training together to support, contribute to, and engage with individuals, communities, policy makers, and academic institutions.
