Hospitals

What about my wife giving birth? what about visiting a loved one? To further assist kohanim in staying away from issurei tumah, below is a partial listing of hospitals and their morgue location and layout. The Hospital Rabbi/Chaplain is the first place to query regarding a specific hospital;

Beth Israel – NY

All building of Beth Israel connect with each other – thus טומאת אוהל is applicable. The morgue is located on the 11th floor. רוב hospital patients are non-Jews with few Jewish patients dying in the hospital. Rabbinic Chaplain can be contacted in advance to verify that no Jewish bodies are in the morgue.

Source/contact; Rabbi Sheldon Goldsmith (retiring 12/31/15) 212-420-2729) . Additional contacts: Rabbi Dov Jacob (liaison) 917-886-3865 or Rabbi Yoel Deitch (liaison) 718-702-0799

Hackensack University Hospital/Valley hospital of Ridgewood – NJ
Childbirth: The childbirth section of the hospital is in a different building that does not connect directly to the building that houses the morgue.
ICU: Hackensack University hospital averages a 10-15 percent Jewish occupancy and – out of the general population averages 2-3 deaths per day.
Morgue is a single-story extension at the rear of the main building with an entrance leading out the parking lot (off Second St.). The morgue is accessable from the main building via double-doors. A Pathology lab is housed in the ICU building.

Source/contact; Rabbi Avrohom Marmorstien – Rabbinic chaplain at Hackensack University Hospital and Valley Hospital of Ridgewood -(917)-622-5550

Engelwood Hospital – NJ
Engelwood hospital rates excellent for kohanim since the morgue is an entirely separate building.