7-1.1•111111111Mel lil A EL 10 Friday, August 2, 1985 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS NEWS The Finest In lingerie and Accessories See Our New, Exciting Fall Designs Located pr Kitty Wagner's Salon 851-5766 Hunters Square Orchard Lake Rd. & 14 Mile Tues.-Sot. 10 to 5:30 p.m. Wed. 10 to 9 p.m. George Warren is pleased to announce the GRAND OPENING of G.G. WARREN COMPANY On Thursday, Friday and Saturday, August 1st, 2nd and 3rd, during Salon Hours, an additional 10% discount will be offered on a unique collection of FASHION JEWELRY and HANDBAGS JEWELRY REPAIR and CUSTOM DESIGN SERVICE AVAILABLE Located in the Daniel J. Salon 1 Block North of 13 Mile Rd. 29977 Orchard Lake Rd. Farmington Hills, Mich. 48018 855-1050 MK Dilemma: To Sell Or Not To Sell Pork BY RABBI BERNARD S. RASKAS A so-called "Pig Law" was re- cently introduced to the Knesset for consideration. It was done to preserve "the Jewish character" of the State of Israel. However, it has raised an interesting di- lemma. The Hebrew term for pig is mentioned twice in the Bible (Lev. 11:7 and Deut. 16:8) as for- bidden food. It is the only animal in its class to be mentioned by name. It was eaten by the Canaanites and was used as a sacrifice in idolatrous worship. Isaiah protests against those "eating swine flesh — a despica- ble thing." In Jewish tradition the pig be- came a symbol of something re- pulsive. Abhorrence of the pig entered so deeply in the con- sciousness of the Jew that the expression davar acher ("another thing," i.e., something not to be mentioned by name) was used for it in talmudic times. Antiochus Epiphanes, during the era of the Maccabees, de- creed that the eating of pig was a test of Jewish loyalty to him. The rabbis responded with the statement, "Cursed be the one who breeds pigs." The Jewish re- vulsion and disgust toward swine flesh continued down the centuries. In 1962 a national law was passed in Israel forbidding the keeping of slaughtering of pigs except in Nazareth and certain specific areas with a sizable Christian population. The Jewish National Fund expressly forbids raising pigs on any of its lands anywhere. Yet, today pork products are sold openly in butcher shops and is available in small neighbor- hood grills and expensive night spots. According to Dr. Dan Ratner, who directs the pig- raising station at Kibbutz Lahav, there are well over 100,000 pigs raised annually. The new proposal, which is an amendment to the present law, would outlaw the selling, as well as raising, of pig meat in areas primarily inhabited by non- Christians. The law would out- law sales in East Jerusalem, but not in Judea and Samaria. According to the manager of the Inter-Continental Hotel in Jerusalem, Klaus Nickel, the hotel uses about 1200 pounds of pork a month. He said, "You can't expect Christian Arabs — or European Jews, for that mat- ter — who have been used to eat- ing pork all their lives to stop suddenly." He notes that it will be sold "under the table." About half of the pork used in the hotel and practically all the smoked meat products come from Kibbutz Mizra. The rest are supplied by Tuv'Taam in Tel Aviv and Siniora, a Christian- Arab butcher shop in the Old City of Jerusalem. The hotel manager says that as far as he is concerned, "Any adult, Israeli or not, should decide what he wants to eat." Following this line of argu- ment, if a food is sanitary and meets public 'health standards,4 should a citizen in the State of Israel be prevented from eating when and what he chooses? If. the state enforces the law strictly, would this be a denial of civil rights? On the other hand, public sale of pork would surely be against the tradition of Jerusalem and tend to distort the character of a Jewish state. It is a dilemma. Moreover, a random survey of non-Kosher butcher shops in "Jewish" Jerusalem shows that pork buyers come from no single ethnic .or Jewish group. Moshe Kronsdorf, a Jerusalem butcher, whose non-kosher shop sells pork and is near the building that once housed the knesset, says that his customers include mem- bers of the present Knesset. However, he is quick to add that most of his clientele include offi- cials of the Red Cross, the U.N. and some church organizations. What is involved here is a symbolic struggle of the direc- tion and character of modern Is- rael. The essential challenge is how to preserve the Jewishness of the Jewish State and at the same time individual freedom. The matter must be thought through very carefully and surely requires the wisdom of a Solomon. In the meantime, Is- rael should be careful about buy. ing a pig in a poke Copyright WNS-Seven Arts &Nat n rmy members from 27 eountrtee, nil their annual , meeting Israel this summer, dedicated the orsunioa#0 ,.__ _,..n. ta ' il b . f Jewish National Fund grove of trees Mar 0014r40 1 "1° 411"".' Army Kiryat Menachem, Shown dedkating the plaque vs Motion 19. General and Mrs. Jarl Wahlsfrom of Sweclen,