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A government takeover could save a struggling Brooklyn hospital — while unsettling the Orthodox Jewish community it serves

By Forward  
   March 19, 2026

As New York City moves to assume control of a financially distressed hospital that serves Brooklyn's Orthodox Jewish community, some local players are pushing back, filing lawsuits in hopes of stopping the imminent merger with the city's public hospital system. Many Hasidic patients rely on Maimonides Medical Center, an independent nonprofit in Borough Park, as their local hospital. Even in a city where hospitals typically offer kosher food and are sensitive to Jewish patients' needs, Maimonides stands out, with Shabbat elevators that stop on every floor, Yiddish-speaking staff and an on-site synagogue in the main lobby that hosts daily afternoon prayer. New York City Health and Hospitals CEO Dr. Mitchell Katz has promised to retain those religious accommodations at Maimonides under the merger, noting in court documents that the merger agreement between Maimonides and the city requires preservation of existing religious and cultural practices at the hospital for at least 30 years.

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