Historian Hits Moslem Claim to Jerusalem
RAMAT-GAN—Dr. Samuel
Tamari, head of the depart-
ment of Arabic at Bar-Ilan
University said there is little
theological basis in Islam for
the Moslem religious claim to
Jefusalem. This claim has
been based on political ex-
pediency more than on re-
ligious identity.
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, May 24, 1974-43
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An Israeli Arabist and his-
torian, Dr. Tamari expres-
sed his idea in a recent ar-
ticle which attracted wide
attention in scholastic circles
and in the Israeli press. The
article, which appeared in
the latest issue of Bar-Ilan
University's_ Hebrew news
magazine, follows the recent
declarations by King Faisal
of Saudi Arabia and by Mos-
lem leaders at their world
conference in Lahore to the
effect that the Jews must
surrender Jerusalem since it
was holy to Moslems, first
and foremost.
Dr. Tamari refuts this
contensio• by citing Moslem
sources to the effect that
Jerusalem was claimed as
holy by Moslems during three
periods and each time for
political and military reasons,
rather than religious attach-
ment. These periods were: in
the seventh century when
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• 111
°worn.
Moslems' Ransom
of Jews a Tradition
RAMAT-GAN — The con-
tinuing use by Syria of Is-
raeli prisoners of war and
Syrian Jews for politilcal
ransom is part of a long-
time tradition in the Mediter-
ranean Moslem countries, ac-
cording to a research project
conducted recently by Dr.
Eliezer Bashan, a lecturer in
history at Bar-Ilan Univer-
sity.
The captivity and holding
of Jews for ransom was most
prevalant among the Mos-
lems, he says, beginning
with the medieval period and
lasting until the last century.
In his study, which was
part of his doctoral thesis,
Dr. Bashan notes that dur-
ing a period- of some 800
years, beginning in the 10th
Century and ending in the
19th_ territorial wars waged
by Moslem and European
powers having expansionist
motives, invariably resulted
in the imprisonment of tens
and often hundreds of Jews.
Individulas, as well as
Jewish communities were
compelled to take full respon-
sibility in freeing these
prisoners. During this period
the ransoming of prisoners
was •the duty of the com-
munity. The problem became
so serious over the cenuturies
that virtually all Jewish
communities in the Mediter-
ranian area established spe-
cial funds and event taxes
for "Pidyon Shuyim," the
ransom of captives. At times
entire treasures of syna-
gogues and communities
were surrendered to ransom
a single Jew.
The absurd man is he who
never changes his opinions.
—Auguste Barthelemy.
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Abd-al-Malik built the Dome
of the Rock as part of a fight
for supremacy over Byzan-
tine Christianity; in the 12th
Century when the Arabs
fought the Crusaders for
hegemony over the land, and
presently as part of the Arab-
Jewish struggle. Between
these periods, says Dr. Ta-
mari, Jerusalem was of little
religious or political import-
ance to Moslems, as the land
changed hands from one
foreign ruler to another.
* * *
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Autopsy According to Israel Law
Are autopsies forbidden,
and what is Israel's attitude?
Respect for the dead, and
reverence for the human
body after death are en-
shrined by both Jewish law
and custom. According to
Deuteronomy 21:22, 23, the
burial should take place as
soon as possible after death.
Anatomical dissection, con-
sidered mutilation of the
body, is forbidden, Encyclo-
pedia Judaica states. The
duty of saving life, however,
is superior to the reverence
for the corpse. Hence, it is
argued that as a result of
dissections and autopsies the
lives of others can be saved,
and that thus the prohibition
of desecrating a corpse would
be overridden by the prime
command of saving life.
In the 18th Century, Rabbi
Ezekiel Landau of Prague,
outstanding halakhic author-
ity, agreed that should there
be at the time of death in
the same hospital another pa-
tient suffering from the same
symptoms (so an autopsy
might immediately help) it
could be permitted. Strictly
limited though this permis-
sion was, it was the first
clear recorded ruling allow-
ing autopsies in the interest
of the living.
In Israel the problem be-
came acute with the estab-
lishment of a medical school.
Israel's a n d Jerusalem's
Chief Rabbis I. H. Herzog
and Z. P. Frank permitted
autopsies: 1) when the civil
law demanded it in cases of
crime or accidental death;
2) to establish the cause of
death when doubtful; 3) in
order to save lives and 4)
in cases of hereditary dis-
eases. This ruling was the
basis for the Law of Ana-
tomy and Pathology passed
by the Knesset in 1953.
To israd
By JORGE LUIS BORGES
Who cart say if ycu are in
the lost
labyrinth of the age-old
rivers
of my blood, Israel? Who can
say
what /ands your blood and
my blood have roamed?
No matter. You are in the
sacred
book that embraces time and
rescues
red Adam's life and the
memory
of the one who suffered on
the Cross.
You are in that book, which
in its hard
and complex crystal is the
mirror
of every face that bends
over it
and of God's own face,
terribly glimpsed.
Hail, Israel, defender of
God's
ramparts, in the passion of
your war.
In 1965, following • allega-
tions of abuse of safeguards
contained in the Law, Chief
Rabbis Y. Nissim and I. Y.
Unterman, together with the
heads of yeshivot, signed an
amendment of the law by re-
verting to the strictly limited
permission given by Landau.
If a person bequeaths his
body for the purpose of ana-
tomical study, the law does
not apply, so that opposition
has been confined largely to
autopsies. A universal con-
(From "ln Praise of Daskoess,"
sensus of opinion permits au- to be published by E. P. Dutton,
York. Translated from the
topsies in the case of violent New
Spanish by Norman Thomas di
or accidental death or where Giovanni.)
a crime is suspected. The
latest problem is transplants.
Rabbi Unterman had put
forward the interesting view
that an organ from a de-
ceased person is •"revived" By RABBI SAMUEL J. FOX
(Copyright 1974, JTA, Eric.)
when successfully grafted on
It is customary to put the
a living person and ceases
piece of foreskin which is
to be part of a corpse.
cut off during the circumci-
sion ceremony into the con-
tainer of earth.
Some contend that whoever
circumcizes his son is con-
icharges w e r e preferred sidered as having brought a
against homes for unethical sacrifice. The Bible calls for
and dishonest practices.
the general sacrifices to be
Acclaimed as a courageous offered on an altar made of
work, Mrs. Mendelson's rev- earthenware. The foreskin of
elations -are expected to stir the circumcision, therefore,
national interest and bring is couched in earth to repre-
government action to pre- sent the idea that a form of
vent continuation of sacrifice has been made.
the charged scandals.
Some Kabalists claim that
Referring to the Detroit- the earth represents the food
based committee, Citizens of the primordial serpent who
for Better Care, Mrs. Men- caused Adam to sin. Using
delson points out that "in the earth to cover the fore-
1972, Michigan was forced to skin is a means of blunting
make public its inspection temptation and the possibil-
report" by a court action in- ity of the actusation by the
evil serpent.
stituted by this committee.
The "industry" was- chal-
There are sonr. (e.g. Tzi-
lenged effectively by the De- yonni) who claina that the
troit committee, of which earth used to couch the fore-
Charles Chomet is executive skin is representaEdve 4• the
secretary, according to Mrs. people of Israel who are com-
Mendelson.
pared to the earth because of
Presently a consultant for their solidarity, multitude
the Federation for Commu- and potential. The child,
nity Planning, Mrs. Mendel- through circumcision, joins
son, a native of Grand Rap- his people. This is symbol-
ids, has a long record of ized by having the foreskin
service in her field, thus join the earth.
testifying to her writing au-
The fourth source points
thoritatively on a subject
which resulted in her exten- to a source in the Midrash
(P irk e D'Rabbi Eliezer)
sive research.
which claims that the Jews
who traveled through the
Bima--Made of Wood wilderness - with Moses used
Some require that the bima to hide their foreskins in the
(reading platform) in the earth. Thus, the contempo-
synagogue be made of wood. rary practice is reminder
Some claim (Yesodoth ha- of the trek through the wil-
Tefilah) that this is because derness in the clays of Moses.
the -pulpit from which the
Some try to have a. inva n
king read the Torah to the
people in the Temple in of 10 males present at a .cir-
Jerusalem was made of wood cumcision ceremony,
(Mishnah S o t a h 7:8). The
technically pos-
While it
contention is that metal, for sible to have a circumcsion
example, might be reminis- without a iuinyan. 3ny try
cent of war and the Torah to have one present. Some
reading was aimed at peace. claim it is because the infant
Others claim that the bima can be said to be es or
was made of wood so it would his thanks for has.>?- = been
be lighter in weight than saved -and sue'', sxpression
metal and thus easier to move requires a neinyail. Others
around. Still others maintain say that this quorum serves
that wood is a "living mate- to. bear testimony '.ds.
child
rial" and the Tor a h is a that the lather of
has fulfilled his duty.
"Tree of Life."
O
0
Circumcision
Regulations
Expose of Unethical Nursing
Homes in Mendelson Voluine
Many nursing homes have
developed into an "industry"
that is exploiting the aged in
this country.
This charge is made in a
devastating expose, "Tender
Loving Greed," by Mary Ad-
elaide Mendelson. (Knopf).
Mrs. Mendelson's expose,
already hailed by legislators
and students of social condi-
tions in this country, charges,
among other things, that in
many nursing homes older
people have been cheated out
of -their social security
checks, that doctors reap for-
tunes by secretly investing
in such homes, that politici-
ans have failed to act when
Historic Cyrus
. Proclamation
Now in the first year of
Cyrus king of Persia, so that
the word of the Lord spoken
through Jeremiah might be
fulfilled, the Lord stirred up
the heart of Cyrus king of
Persia; and he issued a pro-
c l a m a t i o n throughout his
kingdom, by word of mouth
and in writing, to this effect:
This is the word of Cyrus
king of Persia: The Lord the
God of heaven has given me
all the kingdoms of the earth
and he himself has charged
me to build him a house at
Jerusalem in Judah. To every
man of his people now among
you I say, God be with him,
and let him go up to- Jeru-
salem in Judah, and rebuild
the house of the Lord the God
of Israel, the God whose city
is Jerusalem. And every re-
maining Jew, wherever he
may be living, 'may claim
aid from his neighbors in
that place, silver and gold,
goods and cattle, in addition
to the voluntary offerings for
the house of God in Jerusa-
lem.—Ezra 1 : 1-4.
0