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Friday, November 7, 1947,
THE JEWISH NEWS
Page Twenty-four
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FROM THE BOOK OF FIRST KINGS- IA THE
KING JAMES AND J.P.S.A. VERSIONS -THE
geHIRD BOOK OF KINGS IN THE OOLIAY VERSION"'"
BY .00/V C4MERO/V/1/VD
MONT- 0 OM E UL FOR!,
49 /941 By 44CGAAVE5
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- AND THEN KING SOLOMON BUILT A. MvGHTY
FLEET OF 61-IIP6, WITH A GREAT PORT AT EZIOIN-
GEBER ON THE RSO SEA SHORE IN THE
LAND OF EDON\
\
1 /
4
AT THE END OF TWENTY YEARS. SOLOMON
AND HIRAM RENEWED THEIR ALLIANCE
"HERE IS HIRAM'S
TRIBUTE, SIRE, 6IX
SCORE. TALENTS
KING HIRAM OF TYRE
IS TO SEND U6 PILOTS
AND GUIDES FOR ISRAEL'S . •
SEAMEN!
OF GOLD—
1
V )-'
OUR QUEEN
6PiCE4 AND
DOESN'T esueve
GOLD AND
PRECIOUS STONES SOLOMON IS AS
WISE AS THEY
FOR
SAY !
SOLOMON'.
1-IE QUEEN
OF SI-IEBA,
DOUBTING TH41
STICRIES OF
SOLOMON'S
WISDOM,COME4
TO TRY HIM
WITH HARD
QUESTIONS
•
If\4 f4 iji ala
'' yt i
L'ilM\
7111 ■ ;1\•
I SHALL MAKE A
GIFT TO HIRAM OF
TWENTY CITIES
INI THE LAND
OF GALILEE!
.i."
."-
(:JLL OF THE QUEEN OF SHEBA:6 QUESTIONS
WERY SO WELL ANSWERED BY SOLOMON THAT
6HE DEPARTED SATISFIED
ALL HIS GLORY, HAD
BUILT A. THRONE OF IVORY OVERLAID
WITH GOLD "*""
43ooN
YOUR WISDOM AND
RICHES ARE EVEN
GREATER, SOUDMON,THAN
q gi
BUT THE TIME CAME WHEN SOLOMON FOR-
GOT HIS
TO WORSHIP STRANGE 0006
YOU OWE DISOBEYED ta
(
I WAS TOLD !
PRohmse. TO THE LORI- A AND TURNED
AND SO, AS SOU:MON TURNED AWAY FROM
GOO, TROUBLES BEGAN TO CROP UP- FIRST
A REBELLION STARTED UNDER. HADAD, THS
EDOMITG.
I WILL DIVIDE YOUR
KiNGDOMI
Ao.v.ip&
THE KING OP
D
LT AN ME
EG WY EPR IE F \r6
RAID ISRAEL
ift fl
Jewish Gift to the World
Saginaw Doctor Proves Value
Of Circumcision in Fight on VD
By GERHARDT NEUMANN
Jewish 'News Staff Writer
The Jewish News is privileged
to be the first Jewish newspaper
in the United States to report on
a recent study by Dr. Eugene A.
Hand, of Saginaw, Mich., which
found wide in-
terest in medical
circles and will
soon be pub-
lished in a medi-
cal journal,
Dr. Hand's
study is entitled
`'The Importance
of Circumcision
in the Preven-
tion of Venereal
Dr. Hand
Disease and Cer-
-taro Forms of Cancer," and is
based on observations in the ven-
ereal clinic of a military hospital
near New York City.
Here are the most outstanding
facts contained in the study:
•
In discussing these results, Dr.
Hand advances several explana-
tions. According to his observa-
tions, circumcised individuals are
"usually better educated and from
families with better financial, ed-
ucational and cultural back-
grounds." Thus they have a better
chance of familiarizing them-
selves with the dangers of infec-
tion. "It also gives them knowl-
edge of the signs and symptoms
so that if infection occurs they
seek early medical advice and
thus are less likely to infect others
of their class."
Another explanation of a more
medical nature points to certain
after-effects of circumcision
which makes infection more dif-
ficult.
Dr. Hand's paper continues
this discussion as follows:
"A comparison of the occur-
rence of venereal disease in Jews,
Gentiles and the Negro in rela-
tion to circumcision, sex educa-
tion and habits, is most enlighten-
ing. Though it is well known that
there is some stepping off of the
reservation it would be hard to
dispute that Jews usually co-
habit With Jews. Gentiles with
Gentiles, and Negroes with Neg-
roes.
1) Among '790 Gentiles, 525
Jews and '76 Negroes who had
never had venereal clisease, 34
per cent of the Gentiles, all but
one of the Jews, and 42.2 per
cent of the Negroes were cir-
cumcised.
2) Among 522 Gentiles, 16
Jews and 544 Negroes who have
a hiStory of gonorrhea, 23.6 per Education and Venereal Disease
cent of the Gentiles, 100 per
"Through the ages the Jews
cent of the Jews, and 13 per have practiced universal cir-
cent of the Negroes were cir- cumcision at birth. Jews are
cumcised.
acute, shrewd, and though they
(ln other words, the percent- love to gamble they know the
age of uncircumcised non-Jews odds in games, business ,and love,
- contracting venereal disease ex- and like them loaded their way.
- ceedecl that of circumcised non- Jews, though they may be prom-
Jews.)
iscuous in their own race, when
3) The number of syphilis they wander it is usually with
cases observed totaled 532, the better type of Gentile woman.
among them 344 Gentiles, 4 The occurrence of venereal dis-
Jews and 184 Negroes. Of these, ease is lower n
i Jews than in
22.2 per cent of the Gentiles, Gentiles and very much lower
17.5 per cent of the Negroes and than in the Negro. This is because
all four Jews were not circum- circumcision has given them a
cised.
lower rate of infection even when
4) A diagnosis of chancroid exposed to venereal disease, and
was made in 138 instances of their shrewdness and knowledge
• whom 60 were Gentiles and 78 of sex has also cut their infec-
Negroes, almost all of them tion rate. Also when infected their
not circumcised.
acuteness early puts them under
Similar observations were medical care. Thus venereal dis-
•
_ made in other forms of yen- ease has not been siphoned into
the Jewish race generation after
ereal disease.
These facts warrant two generation. Instead the rate has
. conclusions:
remained the same or decreased
a) that the percentage of Jews so that the chances of infection
with venereal disease is low;
of Jews and Jewesses become less
b) that circumcision makes and less."
• Dr. Hand ascribes the high
- . -fir-a'IoNVer rate of infection,
syphilis rate among - Negroes to
poor sex education and bad sex
habits.- Among the Gentiles, he
states, the circumcision rate is
higher than with the Negro, and
a better financial and educational
background combines with better
Arrangements are being com-
sex knowledge plus a somewhat pleted by the Man's Club of Con-
less promiscuous sex life. How-
gregation Shaarey Zedek to ac-
ever, the Gentile *.yphilis rate,
though much lower than among
Negroes, is still higher than
among Jews.
Dr. Hand also believes that cir-
cumcision and marital happiness
have something to do with - each
other, due to certain physiolo-
gical circumstances. A study "of
the occurrence of circumcision in
relation to divorce would be most
interesting," he adds.
Among Dr. Hand's conclusions
the following two are most in-
teresting:
t
'YE-c/a
•
!
c f.,
Hundreds Expected to Attend
Shaarey Zedek's Study Institute
1) All steps to encourage
circumcision of all males early
in life should be taken.
2) As circumcision is usually
found in males with better fin-
ancial, educational and cul-
tural backgrounds and because
proper sex education is still the
best approach to venereal dis-
ease all measures to increase
the education, including mat-
ters pertaining to sex, and also
the cultural and financial well-
being of our people should be
taken. .
Dr. Hand's study is preceded
by a short historical summary of
the origin aid practices of cir-
cumcision. Significantly, he points
to the barbaric practices of cir-
cumcision as they ate known
among the aborigenes of Aust-
ralia and other parts of the world,
where the operation is of a mut-
ilating rather than preventive
character.
Historical Background
The origin of the Jewish cus-
tom is hidden under the veil of
prehistoric times. Since Moses
was uncircumcised, there is rea-
son to believe that during the
captivity in Egypt circumcision
was not yet common practice. It
seems that Joshua introduced the
custom as a general law when he
circumcised, at the "Hill of the
Foreskin," all the males who had
been born in Egypt or in the
wilderness. (See Jos. 5: 2-9).
Dr. Hand-emphasizes that early
Mosaic law "employed a reason-
ably good surgical technique us-
ing a flint knife," and also states
that the operation may not be
performed if the child is not able
to stand the rite.
Whatever the original mean-
ing of circumcision, in later times
it was undoubtedly considered a
NORMAN SNIDER
commodate many hundreds of
Detroiters at the sessions of the
annual Institute of Jewish Stud-
ies to be held during the five-day
period of Nov. 12 to 16.
Commencing with Friday eve-
ning services on Nov. 14, the In-
stitute will wind up with a ban-
quet on Sunday evening, Nov. 16.
Norman Snider, a member of
the Men's Club program commit-
tee, who will preside et all ses-
sions, announces that the series
of events will commence with an
address • by Prof. Abraham S.
Halkin -of the faculties of Colum-
bia University and the Jewish
Theological Seminary, in the so-
cial hall of Shaarey Zedek, at
8:30 p. m. next Wednesday. Prof.
icians whO had learned it from
the Egyptians spread the custom,
and the Greeks also learned it
in Egypt.
To the modern world, however,
circumcision is mainly known as
a Jewish custom, and for a long
time has been considered mere
superstition. In reality, it is one
of the many Jewish gifts to the
world that help to make it a
better place to live in.
That circumcision is not a su-
perstition, but a powerful weapon
in the fight against the plague of
venereal disease, has been shown
conclusively in Dr. Hand's val-
hygienic measure. The Phoen- uable study,
Halkin's topic will be "Facing
the Future."
The Layman's Institute courses
will be conducted by Dr. Leon
J. Leibreich, author, lecturer and
instructor of Bible and Religion
at Gratz College; and by Rabbi
Henry Fisher, a member of the
Board of Overseers pt.: the Jew-
of
ish Theological Seminary
America, who formerly served
on the executive committee of
the Rabbinical Assembly. Dr.
Leibreich will conduct a course
on "The Prophet Jeremiah and
His Time", while Rabbi Fisher
will instruct on "The Jewish Way
of Life".
Rabbi Morris Adler of Con-
gregation Shaarey Zedek has col-
laborated with the program com-
mittee to bring to Detroit this
Layman's Institute. He will ad-
dress the banquet as will also
Dr. Leibreich and Rabbi Fisher.
Albert Green, president of the
Shaarey Zedek Men's Club, an-
nounces the appointment of Mor-
ris M. Karbal as co-chairman for
the Institute. Dr. Morris M. Bur-
stein is co-chairman for the
courses of study. Dr. Harry Bur-
stein is co-chairman for the Fri-
day night service and Ben Sidlow
i s co-chairman f o r banquet
arrangements.
Truman Greets
Jewish Cavalcade,
Praises Judaism
CINCINNATI—Declaring that
"the world of religion owes an.
incalculable debt to Judaism,"
President Truman expressed his
pleasure, in a message to Jacob
Aronson, chairman, executive
board, Union of American He-
brew Congregations, that the
Union will observe, through the
American Jewish Cavalcade, dur-.
ing November, December, and
January "a period of rededica-
tion to the principles of the an-
cient Jewish culture." More than
50 outstanding liberal rabbis will
form the vanguard in a religious
revival program, according to arz'
announcement by Dr{ Maurice N.
Eisendrath, UAHC president.
Cities scheduled in the itin-
erary of the American Jewish
Cavalcade include Grand Rapids.
and Pontiac, Mich.