Thursday. February B. 1990 — THg BUlILiTiN —^3
WITH THE
^ARTONE
Homosexuality. AIDS. Organ donors. Abortion. Crema-
tionr-
Peace in Israel. Divisions within the Jewish State. The Vanishing Jew.
These were among the maj or Fssues confronting
"AIDS IB not to bB regarded 88 a punlehment"
World j^ry today touched upon during a wide-ranging interview with Lbrd Imma-nuel Jakobovits v^hen he visited Vancouver for one day.
Great Britain's Chief Rabbi addressed 600 people hWe and three days later, spoke in San Francisco to 400 eminent doctors, scientistst, academics and
professionals gathered for the lirst International Symposium on Jewish Medical Ethics.
Learning that the Gay Games will be held in Vancouver this August, the Rabbi, who wrote a religious response to AIDS for The
Times of London, said that a distinction must be drawn between the immeri^se tragedies of AIDS<sufferers and the **norm'' that society wants to accord by accepting homosexual relations.
Giving normalcy, through the Gay Games, to what is **unnatural, un-Jewish and immoral; . . is something in i which we as Jews can have no hand. This is abhorrent to us."
He stated:, "We cannot in any way confer legitimacy on this style of life, because in our code of hbliness this is ia cardinal offense. We regard this as undermining the very foundations of our moral .order, not to mention the damage it does to theigmily ks a unit, or life —children —as the foundation of human existence."
But Rabbi Jakobovits stressed thai Jews must draw a distinction between gay liife-style and AIDS sufferers.
Judaism must stretchout a helping hand to these people who are in profound distress; doing one's utmost to relieve their isolation^ deiSpiair and
suffering. We m«5/-do it, because compassion is one of the major distinguishing marks of being Jewish."
He explained that he~ has been careful to point out that the suffering of AIDS victims is not to be regarded as a punishment: "It is not for us to diagnose the spiritual causes or moralcauses. We must^not say, *You have only yourself to blame for your condition'. Moreover, many people have contracted AIDS through in-^ jections, transfusions and so forth."
"We would like to con-tribute Halachlcanswen"
Deemed the world's recognized authority on Jewish medical ethics, the Chief Rabbi touched briefly as well
upon organ donors and abortion in Israel.
Stating that in the area of transplants, "for once we do not create the problems — the problems are there without us —-but rather we can provide Halachic solutions."
Medical ethics is forced to deal with the problems of determining at what time death sets in so that you can remove a vital organ, he said, pointing out that Judaism has. such answers in its literary treasures and would like to contribute these answers to society.
Regarding transplants, he explained, "Not all rabbis accept *brain death' as the point at which an organ can be taken."
Oil the issue of organ donor cards and willing organs, Rabbi Jakobovits said, "The stipulation must be made that before any vital organ is removed death hastohSveset in according to criteria acceptable to Jewish law."
Another major point he brought out in the sphere of medical ethics Was that he regards the rate of abortions in i&rael as calamitous. **Since 194S, abortions in Israel have deprived the Jewish State and the Jewish people cf over two million perfectly healthy Jewish children. It is not just a concern of medical ethics — it is a national concern."
JWB Senior Editors Sam and Mona Kaplan wjere grunted the sole interview in Vancouver during theTeceht v^tof^ Great Britain'sChiefRabbi^LordlmmiEmuelJakobiiivtts,^' one of the world's most respected Jewish religious leaders.
The incidence of cremation of Jews evoked a hard-hitting response from the Chief Rabbi of Great Britain.
"Not all rabbl8 accept brain death"
**There is one overriding dimension which perhajpi can be communicated tb^ Jews who have no respect for Hala-cha (Jewish law). After the incineration of Six M illicfn Jews inithe creroatoi-ia, Jews have a particular abhorrence of cremation, of destroying by burning what was- once a
human being. To us this bas a particularly horrifying conm>-tation today.".
To illustrate the importance in Jewish law of burial -r--"from dust to dust" — Rabbi Jakobovits said, *^f a person leaves a will that states.he wants to be cremated, then not only are the. children or the executor under/io obligation to carry out the will -r they must not carry it out. Because, it's against the law and you cannot iejiYe^a rwill which in itself is In breach of the law." • ,
It is lawful in most lands^ he explained, that once, a person undertakes to be an-executcjr, he is. jrequired ta carjy - out everyuproviso of a wilL rHe cited instancies in wbich he has ruled, that individuals, and Jewish charitaBle. :.Qrg^nizar~ tions whi6hhad been leftcon-tingeht bequests; must, refuse to be executors of :a will in which; it is: part of the condtf-tioiis that they mustehsui&a cremation is carried out. : ^*And they didfe he noted, "they refused.'* •;
Divhidris wiihiniheJ^ State, th^ Vanishing Jews, PtamfofretireiwM,
By EllIAN MINOVITZ
The Chief Rabbi of Great Britain told a recent audience of nearly 600 at Congregation - gchaia Tzedeck that^lonly a Weekeariier, hei^ weteomed^ in the Sabbath within the walls of the Kremlin. Such a happening—the citadel's first Jewish prayer service — would have been inconceivable, he said, when he last visited the Soviet Union 14 years previously.
"We met in the hall where, normally, the Supreme^oviet meets," recpunted Lord Im-manuel Jakobovits, whb had attiended a global forum on the environment in Moscow. "The delegates spent two hours with (Soviet leader Mikhail) Gorbachev and heard some very thoughtful remarks," he said.
"After (Gorbachev's) address^ a number of other Chief Rabbis — from Romania, Moscow and elsewhere — and I made a mwjfl/i (mostly of rabbis) in the Kremlin!" Jakobovits said to laughter ' from the crowd. He described the return of religious freedom in the USSR as "one of the most momentous turning points in history.^
Jakobovits spoke" on "Our Jewish Future — Agenda for the '90s" during his Jan. 25 visit to Vancouver. The Chief Rabbi, who had last come to the city two decades ago, later stopped in San Francisco to participate in a conference on Jewish med ical etjlics^ and in Bahimore for KiTgrandson's Bar-Mitzvah.
In some ways, according to the Rabbi, a visitor to the Soviet U nion who encounters its Jews should offer G-d a blessing of '\Dayan Haeinei" ("the true judge'') — traditionally offered on hearing bad hews.
But"//fl/</v ^we/n'"("who isgood and who makes good," a blessing on hearing good news), he suggested, would also be in order. And at the same time, he proposed, the
^Vac/ior could be said for JewsIiiTNorth America and Europe, who also face both depletion and renewal.
Though there are an enor-'mous number of Jews in the USSR — "two-thirds of European Jewry, one-sixth of our people" — there are no communities as commonly understood. For that and for other reasons, G^ should be "the true judge" of the bad news, Jakobovits suggested.
"What grief you see . . .the desolation of Jewish life throughout the Soviet Union!" he told the audience. "For three generations, they have been completely stunted of self-expression. The majority of male Jews in the Soviet Union are not circumcised," he remarked, dra\ying murmurs.
But; like Tevye m Fiddler on the Roof^ the Rabbi found good news "on the other hand." During a visit to the Moscow Yeshiva, he encountered boys and girls, whose parents did not know Hebrew, taking an active j-ole as students. "What-miracles of rebirth! What a miracle of creation!" he exulted. ____
AlthoughrdSlorth Americ^^ might offers much more tol-erantenvironment for its Jewish cojnmunity, the blessings' of " Dayan Haemer and '"Hatov Umetiv" can also be applied, he observed.
"What a devastating loss some of our communities have had: indifference to Jewish values, its people exiting through intermarriage," he said. "In the United States, more are lost to our traditions than in Russia.
"We are free people. We can live where we like as Jews!" exclaimed Rabbi Jakobovits,
who fled his native Germany to begin his career in England in 1941.
Appointed to Britain's House of Lords in 1988, he explained that he addresses his fellow members of Pariia-ment "as a Jew and as a rabbi". Other Jews can earn the respect of gentiles similarly "if you speak values that you believe in," he said.
For the first time in three-and-a-half millennia, the Chief, Rabbi warned, the notion of the "Vanishing Jew" is being discussed seriously. But for the first tiihe since the Jewish>, Emancipation in the 18th century^ "by the grace of G-d, we are beginning to turn the tide," belaid with a smile.
Children are becoming
more enthusiastic about living as Jews than their parents or grandparents, Jakobovits stated. In his own country, he estimated, 30 percent of Jewish youth go to Jewish day
schools. During a visit earlier in the
day to the Vancouver Hebrew Academy, the Rabbi "saw the radiance of your children taking pride that they are Jews." With ready enthusiasm, he said, they immediately responded to his questions about Tu B'Shvat.
Continuing his message about the importance of youth. Lord Jakobovits urged that peace become "the greatest priority" for the 1990s. "We should not have to sacrifice our youngsters every five or 10 years to another war. We
LORD AND LADY JAKOBOVITS mingle with the community after speech at Schara tzedeck.
should direct our energies for creative purposes."
But even more pressing than making an accord with the Arabs, he believes, is "finding peace among ourselves." He condemned "the bitterness and ugliness" of confrontations within Israel and called for bridge-building.
He listed as a second priority the "resuscitation" of Soviet Jewry through the integration within the world Jewish community of those emigrating to the Diaspora and successful absorption of those who are heading to Israel.
A third group — those who remain in Russia — will require a "colossal campaign" from other communities "to. enable them to be recreated as Jews."
The next decade also necessitates "a crash program of rebirth and revival" among North American Jews, Rabbi Jakobovits admonished his listeners. Especially pressing, he cautioned firmly, is the rescue of youth from drug addiction and other modern "burdens and immoralities and smut."
Parents must set a good - example, he advised: "If you don't have a moral conscience, then (your children) will all become g()od-for-_ nothings." . '
Rabbi Jakobovits pointed to the Centre for Jewish Medical Ethics established in his name at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev as an example of how traditional teachings can be employed to enrich Jewish life without adding burdens. Jews should become active participants in the debate over such issues as in-vitro fertilization and the
definition of death, he suggested. "We who were the original custodians of the Law ought to contribute to it," he stated. , ■ Vx^^^; ■
• Tut B'Shvat, said the Chief Rabbr, servesas a remindcrdf the potential for renewal of Judaism. "The earth begins to spring back to life again, even if we don't see it. We rejoice — provided that seeds are in the ground. The seeds are there in every Jewish heart, every Jewish soul."
Questioned by an audience member. Rabbi Jakobovits expressed doubt that Europe will take in Soviet Jews who face tightened U.S. immigration quotas. "If we want them out of the Soviet Union, we want them in Israel," he said.
Another spectator asked the Chief Rabbi if he, as^a member of the House of Lords, could "light a fire" under his peers and ensure the prosecution of persons identified as Nazi war criminals living in Britain. The British government is expected to take action against several, Jakobovits replied. "Whatever 1 can do in my humble capacity in the House, I will continue to do."
Rabbi Jakobovits was praised by Terry Bensimon, president of Canadian Associates of Ben-Gurion University (Vancouver Chapter),,as a man of "erudition and intel-lect"Jwhose message combmes~ optimism and valuable advice. Schara Tzedeck Rabbi Mor-decai Feuerstein, who, when he was a teenager, first met Jakobovits, commended the Chief l^abbi for adding "lustre and dignity to the Jewish peo-ple and to the Al-mighty he has served."' - t
The evening was sponsored by the Hebrew Acaderny, Schara Tzedeck, the Maimo-nides High School and Canadian Associates of BGU, •
All Photos of the Chief" Rabbi's Visit are, by Robert Edel