ABSTRACT
A very early activity of the Jewish communities, which developed in Europe in the early Middle Ages, after building of the Synagogue, was to establish a graveyard and a burial society – a charitable trust to ensure that the dignity of all would be maintained, in death as in life. Maimonides was the outstanding rabbinical teacher and philosopher of the Middle Ages and has had enormous influence on subsequent Jewish religious thought. The sick at all ages are enjoined to seek expert advice and to regulate their lives according to the instructions of their medical attendants. Their duty is to get well; the saving of life, in the Jewish tradition, puts aside all other commandments. The principle of preservation of life style and self esteem of the sick elderly has led certain religious groups in Israel to build old age homes for their members where customs can be maintained while integrating modern geriatric nursing and physiotherapy services into their regime.
