Toronto Orthodox Rabbis Announce Funeral and Burial Restrictions for Those Who Choose Maid

The Vaad HaRabbanim of Toronto has issued a strongly worded communal declaration regarding Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD), announcing that its rabbis will not officiate at the funerals of people who die through MAiD and that such individuals will be refused burial plots in participating synagogues’ cemetery sections.
The letter, addressed to the Jewish community of the Greater Toronto Area, represents a significant public response from Toronto's Orthodox rabbinic leadership to the growing prevalence of assisted dying in Canada.
The Vaad writes that MAiD has now “made inroads into our own communities,” prompting the rabbis to publicly clarify the halachic position and attempt to discourage its use.
According to the letter, Jewish law regards every moment of human life as sacred and requiring preservation. The Vaad states unequivocally that choosing MAiD violates Halachah and that a person who dies through the procedure is considered a me'abed atzmo lada'as — one who deliberately takes his or her own life.
The declaration goes further regarding those involved in providing the procedure. It states that a person who administers MAiD is considered under Halachah to be committing murder, while someone who facilitates the procedure is considered to be assisting in a grave transgression.
Funeral and Burial Policy
The most consequential portion of the letter concerns what happens after the death.
“We, the Orthodox Rabbis of the Greater Toronto Area, hereby declare that we shall not officiate at funerals for MAiD patients,” the Vaad states.
The rabbis further announce that, in addition to refusing to officiate, “burial plots in our synagogues’ sections shall be refused as well for said patients.”
The policy could have significant practical implications for Orthodox families in Toronto, where synagogue cemetery sections and rabbinic involvement traditionally play central roles in Jewish burial.
MAiD Continues to Grow in Canada
The Vaad notes that MAiD has been legal in Canada for nearly a decade and cites almost 5,000 MAiD deaths in Ontario in 2023. Official Ontario figures confirm that there were 4,644 MAiD deaths in the province that year.
Nationally, Health Canada recorded 15,343 MAiD provisions in 2023. Updated federal figures subsequently revised that number slightly upward to 15,427, followed by 16,499 MAiD provisions in Canada in 2024.
The federal government reports that 5.1% of people who died in Canada in 2024 received MAiD.
Compassion Alongside a Firm Position
Despite the unusually strong measures announced in the letter, the Vaad emphasizes that its position is not intended to dismiss the suffering of patients or their families.
“We understand that this is a deeply emotional and challenging subject,” the rabbis write, extending “heartfelt compassion” to people confronting end-of-life decisions and their families.
The Vaad urges those considering MAiD to consult both rabbis and appropriate professionals for spiritual and practical guidance before making decisions.
The letter is issued in the name of the Vaad HaRabbanim of Toronto, whose letterhead lists a broad cross-section of Orthodox rabbinic leadership from across the Greater Toronto Area.
The declaration marks an unusually explicit attempt by Toronto's Orthodox rabbinate not only to reiterate Judaism's prohibition against assisted death, but to establish concrete communal consequences when MAiD is chosen.