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W hen Dr. Daniel Layish and Dr. Solomon “Shlomo” Saul joined forces to start a group for Central Florida’s Jewish medical professionals in January, neither could have predicted how much the Chaim Society would grow – and how much it would mean to those involved. The WhatsApp group has already expanded to nearly 200 members, with two in-person meetings drawing about 80 participants. The Chaim Society is open to any local Jewish healthcare professional, including physicians, nurses, physician assistants, and pharmacists, as well as medical and nursing students. The group was started to bring people together in today’s somewhat compartmentalized medical environment, where doctors don’t necessarily encounter each other organically at the hospital. “You used to be able to meet colleagues in the hospital lounge, but now some don’t go,” says Daniel, an associate professor of medicine with the University of Central Florida College of Medicine, a clinical associate professor at Florida State University College of Medicine, and a physician at Central Florida Pulmonary Group, P.A. For Shlomo, a family medicine doctor at Lehigh Valley Health Network, starting the Chaim Society was a way for him to meet colleagues after moving to Orlando a year ago from Pennsylvania. He and Daniel met through Rabbi Mendy Bronstein at Chabad of Altamonte Springs. The Chaim Society, a new group for Central Florida’s Jewish healthcare workers, serves to connect them personally and professionally of Meaning
by Emily Raij
Daniel, who previously chaired the now-defunct Maimonides Society through the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando, was the perfect partner to help grow the Chaim Society.
What’s in a Name? Daniel’s late son Elliott, who died three years ago at the age of 22, inspired Shlomo’s choice of names for the group. Elliott’s Hebrew name was Chaim. “It was Dr. Saul’s idea to name this the Chaim Society in his memory,” says Daniel. “Chaim means life , so the idea is this group of professionals is helping to save lives and promote lives in general. I was very honored when Dr. Saul suggested that.” One way the Chaim Society is living up to its name is by starting a community collection, or gemach, for members to donate used medical equipment such as wheelchairs, hospital beds, and walkers for those in need. The group has also raised money for Israel Defense Forces soldiers and is trying to plan an exchange or mission trip to Israel. “I’m working on the next move now that we have a little bit of headway, like subcommittees for people to do what they’re passionate about,” says Shlomo.
“I kept running into doctors at shul and kept making some connections,” says Shlomo. “I thought, ‘Why don’t we all know each other?’ At first, it started with local people I knew. Once Dan got on, it kind of exploded. He’s really passionate about it.”
The Chaim Society is a new group for Jewish medical professionals in Central Florida, connecting its members through WhatsApp and occasional in-person meetings.
28 J LIFE | FALL 2025
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