Purely Commentary
Autopsy Issue in the Forefront Again
Prior to the Six-Day War, the problem of post-mortems was a
major issue in Israel. Only two weeks before the June war, the direc-
tor of the Tel Hashomer Hospital, Prof. Haim Shiba, received a
vitriolic message from an ultra-Orthodox group, stating: "To the
Butcher of Tel Hashomer: My pen is too weak to describe your swinish
actions, your horrible stealing of parts of human bodies. Death to the
doctors, the criminal swine!"
It was an established fact that in a period of 15 years, under Dr.
Shiba's direction, eyesight was restored to more than a thousand
patients in the Tel Hashomer Hospital by emergency transplanations
of corneas from eyes of deceased. Nevertheless, even autopsies that
proved of great human value were condemned in the anti-autopsy cam-
paign that was rampant at the time. As part of that campaign there was
rioting, demonstrations were organized and for a time there was
a serious danger that doctors on staffs of Israel's hospitals would re-
fuse, as a result of such antagonism, to establih medical practice.
For a time the anti-autopsy campaign was interrupted, due to the
war, but it appears to have been renewed and now may become an
issue in this country. That became apparent during the initial days of
Prime Minister Levi Eshkol's visit in this country. Two days before
he had met with President Johnson, Mr. Eshkol was greeted with an
advertisement in the New York Times, inserted by a group calling
itself American Committee for Safeguarding Human Dignity in Israel,
signed by four rabbis, charging under the heading "An Open Letter to
Mr. Eshkol . . . in which we'd like to remind you of an unkept
promise," that there were assurances that "reforms would be instituted
and restraints exercised" in the practice of performing autopsies.
Numerous charges were listed in that advertisement about the
"inquisitiveness of scientists" that "takes precedence over a person's
right to his own body, or a family's right to the body of their
relative" and that "in many cases dismembered limbs are not returned
to families for decent burial." It was charged that "such practices
constituted anti-religious compulsion."
Israeli doctors let it be known at the time of the protestations
that they could not yield to pressures because they viewed it as a
sacred duty to aid the sick and to restore sight to those who were
losing it. One doctor (Prof. Richard Stein of the Tel Hashomer Hos-
pital opthalmology department) said he had himself, in a period of 20
years, removed eyes from 800 cadavers and gave sight to that number of
sightless, and he considered it a duty to continue that practice.
Meanwhile Mr. Eshkol had proposed amendments to Israel's
Anatomy and Pathology Law to combine "maximum consideration for
the sensibilities of Orthodox families and the need for scientific
progress." Perhaps this proposal is yet to be acted upon, but in the
interim the medical staffs of Israel's hospitals are determined that
if they can assist in saving lives they will not yield to pressures to
interfere with human needs.
This commentator was in Israel at the time the issue was most
rampant. He inquired of the Sinai Hospital authorities in Detroit regard-
ing autopsy practices here, but the war obviated publication of the facts
submitted to him. Now they become relevant again and it becomes
necessary to make known the figures that were submitted to him by
Walter C. Doherty, in behalf of Sinai. The percentages of autopsies
are as follows:
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
70%
Veterans' Administration
60%
71%
Children's
Detroit Memorial
59%
54%
Grace
Harper
48%
Henry Ford
62%
Mt. Cannel
47%
Women's
38%
As far as Sinai is concerned, the following are the number of
autopsies and the percentage for the years 1964, 1965, and 1966:
Autopsies
1964
1965
1966
Number
155
165
180
Percentage
49%
52%
58%
It is clear that the practice is universal. The heart-transplantations,
which have not been condemned by highest religious authorities, al-
though some scientists have questioned the morality of it, adds sign-
ificance to the issue involving, in Israel's case primarily, cornea trans-
plantations.
Whatever offenses there are to the feelings of Orthodox Jews will
no doubt be corrected. Israel's authorities were not abusive to
Orthodox protestations. But the human elements must be considered.
It was related during the demonstrations against the post-morteMs
in Israel that an aged Orthodox rabbi, after he had left the line of
protest, went to one of the doctors and pleaded for a cornea for
himself: he was turning blind!
The human is linked with the religious factors. The two must
coincide—as they undoubtedly will, whether in heart transplantations
in Cape Town, New York or Palo Alto, or cornea restorations in Israel.
•
•
•
Post Mortems an Issue Again in
Israel . . . Forest in Memory of
Schutzer . . . Peace is Remote
By Philip
VOMOVitZ
groups, its attempts to integrate the immigrants, the refugees
of wars. The emphasis is to depict the traditions of the new
country, based on its ancient heritage, about its pain of war
and joys of peace. The working title of the exhibit will be:
"HOW GOODLY ARE YOUR DWELLINGS, OH ISRAEL."
The Robert Capa-David Seymour Photographic Foundation
was established in 1958 to promote in Israel the understand-
ing and appreciation of photography as a medium for reveal-
ing the human condition. The Foundation aims also at improv-
ing relations among all peoples and at fostering international
cooperation through the means of photography. These awards
are given to photographers whose work seems most in the
tradition and spirit of Capa and Seymour.
I shall keep you informed about the progress of our plans
and the exact timing of the competition. The handling-out
of awards and the opening of the exhibit usually fails on
or about the 9th of November—the date of David Seymour's
death in Suez, in 1956.
Thus another eminent photographer's works is honored in Israel.
There are deep humanitarian interests in such projects, and the
links with Israel are impressive.
Mr. Capa should be given fullest cooperation in the gathering
of the fund needed for the Paul Schutzer Forest—$20,000--and his
other related undertakings.
•
•
•
'Israel's Problem . . . Unfortunately Unchanging'
During his visit in the U. S., Israel's Prime Minister Levi Eshkol
was the guest of the Overseas Press Club at a luncheon meeting at
which the OPC president, Hal Lehrman, presided. As the Overseas
Press Bulletin explained the event, "For his first full-dress confronta-
tion with news media since his meeting with President Johnson,
Prime Minister Eshkol appeared before an OPC Edward R. Murrow
World Affairs Forum luncheon."
The report of that meeting contained these references to Lehr-
man's introduction of the Israel prime minister.
In introducing the Prime Minister, Lehrman recalled
how "we played a little trick on (Foreign Minister Abba
Eban) and the audience when he inaugurated our Murrow
Forum series." Excerpts from a tane were replayed, which
seemed to be from a speech made earlier that day. But
they were from a speech made before the UN in 1956, 11
years earlier. "It was to demonstrate by shock," the OPC
President said, "how deep Israel's basic problem is and
how essentially and unfortunately unchanging." Whereupon
Lehrman quoted Eshkol from The Bulletin several years
ago. Ticked off were points sounding similar to the Prime
Minister's statements after his 1968 meeting with Presi-
dent Johnson.
"And so, Mister Prime Minister," Lehrman asked,
turning to the guest of honor, "What's new?"
In these "little tricks" are incorporated significant facts empha-
sized in Lehrman's comment about the "essentially and unfortunately
unchanging" conditions affecting Israel. It is an unchanging situation
in which Arab leaders continue to speak of destroying the State of
Israel, of ending its sovereignty, of preventing any action that might
lead to peace negotiations.
There is so little hope for peace that even the most sanguine,
the extremest among the optimists, speak of its possibilities with
reservations. We have more trepidation than hope.
2 Friday, January 26, 196$
—
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Pavel Litvinov, 28, grand-
son of the late Soviet Foreign
Minister Maxim Litvinov, was
dismissed from a teaching job in
Moscow five days before he de-
livered a denunciation of a trial
in which four young intellectuals
were convicted of subversion.
Bormann, Mengele Safe
in S. America: Wiesenthal
LONDON (JTA) — Martin Bor-
mann and Dr. Joseph Mengele, the
two most-wanted Nazi war crimin-
als, are alive and living in South
America, Simon Wiesenthal, who
has devoted his life to bringing war
criminals to justice, told a British
television audience. He expressed
doubt, however, that either would
ever be brought to justice unless
they were seized in the same kind
of commando action that netted
Adolf Eichmann.
Weisenthal said that Bormann,
who was Adolf Hitler's deputy, is
living in northern Brazil.
Mengele, the Auschwitz "selec-
tion doctor," is living in central
Paraguay, he said. The Nazi hunter
said he had photos Mengele
taken only a few months ago.
10 Israeli, 4,481 Egyptian POWs Exchanged
By I. SHARGIL
JTA Staff Correspondent
(Direct JTA Teletype Wire
to The Jewish News)
KANTARA, East Bank, Suez
Canal — Tuesday, I watched the
end of another chapter that began
with last June's Six-Day War —
the final exchange of Egyptian
and Israeli prisoners of war, car-
ried out smoothly under the aus-
pices of the International Red
Cross.
It was a one-sided exchange —
4,481 Egyptians for 10 Israelis, a
ratio of two Israelis for almost 500
Egyptians.
The final batch of prisoners who
crossed the deserted canal Tuesday
in Egyptian-manned boats flying
the Red Cross flag consisted of
468 Egyptians (among them four
generals and over 300 other offi-
cers ranging in rank from lieuten-
ants to majors) and two Israelis,
one an air force captain and the
other a lieutenant in the navy.
The highest ranking officer of all
was a greying Egyptian general,
Saleh Yakout, who was captured
in the Sinai on the third day of
last June's war. He crossed the
canal in the last boat — by him-
self.
I watched the embarkation of
the Egyptian officers. They did not
seem ha-,my, nor did they seem
fearful, just determined to go back
Bond Conference Honors Harman
Honor to Paul Schutzer's Memory
A distinguished photographer has taken the lead in sponsoring
the memorial forest in tribute to Paul Schutzer, the Life Magazine
photographer who was killed in action while at work for his periodical
on the second day of the Six-Day War.
It will be recalled that Schutzer had become enamored with Israel,
returning there time and again. The movement to plant a Paul Schutzer
Memorial Forest through the Jewish National Fund was launched
by Cornell Capa, the famous photographer and a leader in the Over-
seas Press Club. The OPC serves as headquarters for fund-gathering
for this project.
Mr. Capa hopes for a speedy realization of the project. He informs
us, in relation to this undertaking, that there is a yearly Capa-Chim-
Photographic competition in Israel and that "this year it is being held
to honor the memory of Paul, `who came to Israel by his own choice
and was killed at the top of his form, engaged in the tasks that he
most wanted to do, with his heart in the values for which the comrades
he had elected to join fought for—and also died,' as noted by the
Israeli author, Moshe Pearlman."
Explaining further the objectives of this competition, Mr. Capa
informs us:
The emphasis is to be on the accomplishments of Israel,
the visual facts of its existence, its achievements against the
great natural, political, political and economic odds. It is to
be of schools, farms, culture, industry, of plows and books,
of people in all walks of life. Its Arab citizens and other ethnic
Litvinov Fired
because they had to go back. On
the west bank of the canal, we
could see, through binoculars, a
red-capped Egyptian military po-
lice guard of honor and some high-
ranking Egyptian officers on band
to greet them. The Egyptian POWs
all seemed well clad and many
carried bundles — odd and ends
that they had made for themselves
during their seven months in Israeli
POW camps. Gen Yakout seemed
to sum things up when he told
newsmen that the seven months in
an Israel prison camp were "bear-
able."
The two Israeli officers who re-
turned were poorly dressed and
had their heads shaven. They
looked pale and tired but seemed
supremely happy to be home.
As a footnote to the day, I was
told by a Red Cross representative
that one Egyptian soldier had re-
quested political asylum in Israel,
which was granted.
• • •
Egyptian Soldiers Seen
Manhandling Returnees
(Direct JTA Teletype Wirt
to The Jewish News)
LONDON — Egyptian prisoners
of war, repatriated from Israel
under Red Cross auspices Tuesday,
were manhandled by their fellow
More than 400 Jewish leaders from the United States and Canada
paid a farewell tribute to Ambassador Avraham Harman, who is
returning to Israel after nine years of service as his country's chief
envoy to the United States. The tribute was the climax of the 1968
planning conference of the board of governors of the Israel Bond
Organization, which voted to provide a major share of Israel's $289,-
000,000 development budget this year through an intensive sale of
State of Israel Bonds. Principal participants in the conference were,
(from left) standing, Louis H. Boyar, chairman of the board of
governors of the Israel Bond Organization; Samuel Rothberg, nation-
al campaign chairman; seated, Abraham Feinberg, president; Dr.
Joseph J. Schwartz, vice president, and Ambassador Harman.
Egyptian soldiers after crossing
from the east to the west bank of
the Suez Canal, the Sun reported
Wednesday in a dispatch from Kan-
tara.
According to the paper, the
Egyptians rigged an eight-foot high
tarpaulin to conceal the rough
handling of their own men from
Israelis and press photographer&
The two Israeli prisoner returned
Tueday, an air force captain and
a naval lieutenant, were greeted
by prolonged cheering and ap-
plause, the Sun said.