THE JEWISH NEWS

.

0310 c#0, IncAt-porfitir

4,44et7;00,444.1. Cl rpr,14e cpmmencing, - lizith issue_ of ...T414. 20, ,19g

IS THERE A LIFFAkjAsto ThE HousE?

ss el-
Member American Association of English-Jewish Newspapers, Michigan Press Association, National kitorial
ation Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publishing Co., 17515 W. Nine Mile, Suite 865, Southfield, Mich. 48075.
Second-Class Postage Paid at Southfield, Michigan and Additional Mailing Offices.
Subscription $8 a year. Foreign $9

PHILIP SLOMOVITZ

Editor and Publisher

CARMI M. SLOMOVITZ

CHARLOTTE DUBIN

Business Manager

City Editor

DREW LIEBERWITZ

Advertising Manager

Sabbath Scriptural Selections

This Sabbath. the 23rd day of Av. 5731, the following scriptural selections will
be read in our synagogues:
Pentateuchal portion, Deut. 7:12-11:25. Prophetical portion, Isaiah 49:14-51:3.

Candle Lighting, Friday, Aug. 13, 7:17 p.m.

VOL. LIX. No. 22

Page Four

August 13, 1971

Drug Abuse and Mind Befuddlement

Within a matter of days, the reopening for the best results in social planning. The
of the schools will undoubtedly be accom- UAHC task thus serves a special purpose as
panied by new expressions of concern over an educational factor. The parent must be the
the attitudes of youth on our way of life, the first to know the Jewish attitudes and if he
relationships between parents and children, is properly educated there is hope that his
the narcotics problems and a score of other role in the home will lead to avoidance of
dangers.
matters that affect Americans generally.
Dr. Freehof, in his essay on "Psychedelic
A continuing cause for anxiety is the ex-
tent to which our youth is a drug-using gen- Drugs," sounds warnings against "superheat-
eration. It can not be said that the matter ed emotions" with a plea for "calm intel-
has been ignored. A New Detroit, Inc., res- lect." He is realistic in his approach, and on
olution, on record as part of our larger com- the question of whether it is proper to take
munity's interest in the developments here, drugs at all, he offers an analogy with drunk-
arAiranwall.
"-- •
urged that "physicians in Michigan be per- enness, thereupon giving the Jewish view
mitted to treat minors on a confidential basis on drinking:
for drug abuse, so that young people involved
Judaism have never been ascetic, forbidding
with drugs will be encouraged to seek pro-
the drinking of wine. On the contrary, it has
fessional help."
made wine a part of many a religious service.
Another New Detroit, Inc., resolution
Nevertheless it is sternly against drunkenness.
Fears about estrangement of youth may be greatly reduced upon
endorsed "the principle that first time pos-
The Bible, especially in Proverbs, denounces
reading the views of an impressive group on issues that seriously affect
session of marijuana be considered no more
Jewish life everywhere.
drunkenness. The priests are prohibited in Scrip-
than a simple misdemeanor."
ture from conducting the sacred service if they
In "The New Jews," published as a Vintage Paperback by Random
In the main, as was apparent in a nxiew
even taste liquor. See Leviticus 10:8: "And the
House, representatives of many campuses speak out on religion, Zion-
ism, political issues, Israel.
of conditions in our immediate community.
Lord spoke unto Aaron saying: 'Drink no wine
nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee,
There are criticisms, but the youth who write here on these subjects
there has been more talk than action. It is
are positive. They challenge establishments who govern Jewish life,
when ye go into the tent of meeting, that ye die
easy to deplore, more difficult to act. Ver-
but they are identified.
not; it shall be a statute forever throughout
biage has been unlimited, with actual plan-
James A. Speeler, a 1969 Yale graduate, and Alan L. Mintz, a
your generations.' " After the temple was de-
ning for solutions only now beginning to
Columbia College student, who were founders of the Responsa maga-
stroyed,
the
prayer
services
were
considered
to
take root.
zine, edited this volume and ably selected writers on subjects of
be the substitute for the Temple sacrifices.
It is heartening to know that responsible
eminence.
Therefore the same prohibition against drunken-
agencies and educational institutions are not
ness at the Temple sacrifices was applied to
Urgent questions are posed by the editors and contributors to this
ignoring ' the problem. The drug situation
volume. Will the search "for a sympathetic past" cause our youth to
prayer. The Talmud says (Erubin 64a) "A man
was reviewed thoroughly by internationally
"seek out and celebrate new aspects of the tradition and now-ignored
who is drunk shall not pray. If he does pray,
moments in Jewish history?" Will new ways be evolved for the study
his prayer is an abomination." Also in Berahot
recognized authorities at the 'University of
of Judaism? Will there be an integrated Jewish philosophy?
31b the Talmud says that if a man who is drunk
Michigan. Serious attention to the issue by
prays, it is as if he has worshiped an idol. It is
The editors point out that "Jewish radicalism is fueled by the
experts will no doubt help resolve it to a
same anger and critique that powers general American radicalism."
clear, therefore, that any sort of befuddling of
great degree.
the clear mind was considered a hindrance to
Judging the viewpoints expressed in "The New Jews," editor Mintz
At the U-M seminar in which 46 panelists
concludes :
a true and sincere religious life.
participated, Prof. Abraham Kaplan rejected
"The capacity for spiritual experience is a particularly valuable,
Rabbi Freehof presents the Jewish prohi- and healthful possession, one much sought after by many of the cow'
the view that excessive permissiveness causes
abuses, and he warned that those who claim bition on the bemusing of the mind as follows: tributors to this volume. To be able to disengage oneself from the
it are over-reacting by pouring gasoline on
process and gain perspective on one's involvement in the world, to be •
But there is a further consideration in-
the flames. He blamed society's stress on
able to eat with others in a spirit of holiness and reverence, to be able_
volved: Medical opinion (in a report to the
feeling for the situation and he added: "If
to celebrate life moments with worship and festivity—all these cakci- -
American College Health Association) indicates
ties must be essential to the make-up of he who wishes to work" ii
you take a person for whom feeling is more
that many addicts of LSD have gravely en-
the world for peace and liberation. We need not dwell on the humaniz-
important than thought and action, a person
dangered their health and tend to increase the
ing effect of life-in-community so stressed in, this book.
who says his inner subjective self has greater
danger of general addiction, feeling a com-
"We point to affirmation as the quality by which young Jews
value than the outside world, a person who
pulsion to recruit others to the use of the drug.
might want to be known to their American contemporaries. Not in
denies the past and fears the future, you've
With regard to the danger to health, Jewish
the inevitable anguish of opposition, but in the everyday strugglit4p.
law is clear: It is forbidden to a person ever to
got a potential addict on your hands."
realize the divine vision, do they discover and unfold theniselvi
endanger himself (except, of course, under the
This is a philosopher's view which may
In that sense, each essay here is an experiment in thought, a tents-;
special
conditions
of
martyrdom
for
the
sake
of
have some merit yet does not match the
live pause and assessment to prepare the ground for action that 'is
religious conviction, when one must accept death
historically grounded, culturally viable and spiritually engaging."
direct approach of dealing with the issue
rather than give up the faith). But in general
Although three of the essays (by Albert Axelrad, Raphael Arzt and
clinically. It was pointed out at the U-M
the law is clear that a person must never en-
Everett Gendler) come from older men, most of the writers are in their
seminar that clinical supervision often helps
danger his health or his safety. These various
20s. Each poignantly questions his religious roots in terms of Judaism's
reduce addiction.
laws are summed up in the Shulhan. Arukh,
long struggle "with reality and despair, handed down to us in all
Besides verbosity, what is the Jewish
Yore Deah 116. See especially the statement of
sobriety." Editor Mintz suggests that the havurot—an experimental
community doing to retain the highest stand-
Moses Isserles to 116:5 in which he says: "A man
religious community—gives new answers to identity. Here members
ards of our traditions? Let it be recorded
must be careful with regard to all matters that
join together for religious study, experimental worship, commur
bring him into danger, for danger is even more
to the credit. of the Union of American
meals, retreat and political action. James Sleeper calls for a re-integr..._
serious
than
(other)
prohibitions."
(Hullin
10a.)
Hebrew Congregations that it has not ignored
tion by young Jews of the "lasting historical and spiritual perspectives
To
sum
up:
According
to
the
spirit
of Juda-
the needs. Its concerted effort to create an
which alone can inform a meaningful and humanizing radicalism."
ism, the path to religious knowledge is the
understanding of the problem and to in-
Other contributors tackle the problems of drugs, prayer and mysti-
clear mind, not the confused emotions. Any sort
cism, the Israeli-Arab conflict, Jewish education, Judaism on the cam-
trodt_e effec:,ive methods of dealing with
of drunkenness or bemusing of the senses is an
pus, radical politics, poets and psychedelics.
the narcotics dangers was emphasized in the
impediment to true worship, and any willful en-
Although each essay is an individual experiment in thought, all
first of a series of studies, "Drugs: A Manual
dangering of the health is strongly prohibited
share one basic tenet: they are "shot through with symbols from the
of Programing Resources." While it does
by the Jewish legal tradition.
Jewish past, evincing a strong reaching backwards in time, an impulse
not attain the glory of total solution — such
toward re-authentication."
an accomplishment would be almost miracu-
Of course, there are no solutions in these
In "The New Jews," 'published in cooperation with the American
lous in a time of extremism in nearly every- interpretive scholarly declarations. But in the Jewish Committee, a sense of Jewish identity is found when the unique
thing involving the social crises of our time Jewish way of dealing with problems the symbols and experiences of the past are applied to present-day problems:.
— it serves one specific purpose: it leads the approach is practical. First the parent must
parent to a path of responsibility and ad- know, then the home must apply this knowl-
monishes him about his duty as an inheritor edge, and subsequently it is to be hoped that
of a Jewish legacy that rules out addiction in homes not a f f l i c t e d by the curse
Two volumes are incorporated into the text of "The Complete Book
as a befuddling of the mind. Therefore, as of bigness or the danger of affluence, there of Bible Stories for Jewish Children" published by Ktay.
Dr. Solomon B. Freehof emphasizes in his will be a controlling factor in overcoming
The collected stories are by David Daniel, and the attractive
essay in the UAHC brochure on the subject, the menace of excessive drunkenness, drug illustrations are by Ben Einhorn.
In the first book, the author has compiled stories from Creation
such addiction is to be considered "a hin- abuses and the mind's befuddlement. Less
drance to a true and sincere religious life." talk, more action! That's a necessity in com- to Joshua. The second portion features narrations from Joshua to
We have been accustomed in Jewish life munities where it is so easy to get opinions Judah Maccabee.
Well told, covering a long range of ancient history, this 288-page
to think of parental influence, of the guidance but too difficult to get down to the business
book will be found most useful for home use, in reading stories to
that stems from the home, as major in our of making life's and history's experiences youngsters
or encouraging young readers to become acquainted with
'i,r.elati,944hips.,360,,, children and in Ale.,14pcs,....pytrcome
.4efugp.9.4.12.t ,pkthe , mind.
Bible themes as well as for u§e as a textbook in schools.

'The New Jews' Affirms Youth
Commitment to Jewish Values

Bible Stories for Jewish Children