EDITORIAL
Worldly Priority
There was a curious — and, maybe, a promising — confluence
of issues earlier this week. They addressed concerns of the entire
planet and of individual cities, of potential mass destruction and of
saving individual human lives. Taken together, they pose important,
unavoidable questions of global survival. They may even pose the
possibility of global cooperation, something our planet has been lack-
ing for much too long.
In Paris, leaders of seven of the world's industrial giants — the
United States, Canada, France, Britain, Germany, Italy and Japan
— agreed on broad plans to clean up the planet's environment. One-
third of the final, 22-page statement from their summit was devoted
to framing the broad outline of the "decisive action that is urgently
needed to understand the earth's ecological balance."
A few years ago, such language would have been more typical
of a broadside from Greenpeace or the Sierra Club than from the
leaders of seven major industrial nations. Now, it is the stuff of in-
ternational policy. If something more than rhetoric comes from all
this, then maybe a fresh breeze is finally arising in politics.
The summit's manifesto came the day before a congressional
think-tank released a study predicting up to 45 major American
cities will be unable to comply with federal air pollution standards
by the turn of the century.
And it came as a national gathering of black physicians blamed
the widening health gap between blacks and whites in the United
States on the stresses of racism. Certainly, America's inner-cities,
which is where most blacks reside, are the very places where people
suffer the most from the ravages of urban environmental pollution,
most of which can be related to health side-effects.
This took place as Congress was debating whether it should
bankroll — at a minimum cost of $70 billion — a fleet of 132 Stealth
bombers, the most expensive plane ever devised by man. These $70
billion could fund ten years of using all available technologies to
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Council's Position
On Abortion
In the wake of the abortion
controversy, the Council of
Orthodox Rabbis would like
to reiterate its position on
this all important issue. In
the eyes of Torah, abortion is
an unconscionable act that is
sanctioned only under the
most dire circumstances.
We deplore those Jewish
groups that crusade in the
name of Judaism for the right
to destroy a fetus, and in ef-
fect undermine that most im-
portant mission of a Jew,
fidelity to God and sensitivi-
ty to the lives of God's
creatures as expressed in the
Torah.
The issue is not one of the
rights and liberties of in-
dividuals, but rather of the
paramount importance of
human life in all of its forms.
It is our Holy Torah given to
us by the all-compassionate
and loving God that ascer-
tains the nature of human
dignity and human life. In the
eyes of Torah there is no
greater treasure than new
Jewish life brought into the
world.
6
FRIDAY, JULY 21, 1989
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curtail air pollution throughout the nation. It could help eliminate
the "greenhouse effect" that is making our summers so onerous and
our crops so sparse. It could restore our streams and rivers and oceans
to pristine cleanliness.
The guns-and-butter debate will continue at the national level.
But it has a direct effect on our local problems: the ravages of cancer
in the inner city; the increased incidents of algae bloom, improper
sewage treatment and air pollution despoiling our lakes and drink-
ing water supplies.
Having a Congress that does not instantly give the Pentagon all
it wants is encouraging. Having seven international leaders issue
a statement of good environmental intent is uplifting. What comes
next is the real test. We hope it gives us a passport to a planet less
at risk.
LETTERS
People certainly have the
right to express and act upon
their convictions, but to
espouse the legality of abor-
tion as a Jewish principle is
a complete falsification of
Jewish tradition and law.
Rabbi Leizer Levin
Rabbi Chaskel Grubner
Council of Orthodox Rabbis
The Abortion
Question
In your recent article (July
14) on abortion you quoted
Rabbi Jerome Epstein of the
United Synagogue of
America. What your article
did not say was that he was
giving his opinion, and only
as it applied t questions ask-
ed him about the recent
Supreme Court decision.
I know of no United
Synagogue resolution on this
decision. The United
Synagogue of America, an
organization of synagogues
and the lay people of the Con-
servative movement would
not or should not give a
movement-wide opinion on a
halachic issue. One may give
his or her personal opinion or
quote traditional sources
within the movement. For ex-
ample, the Rabbinical
Assembly (Conservative Rab-
bis) in a 1985 resolution
stated as follows:
"Whereas Jewish law
recognizes a qualitative dif-
ference between the life of a
fetus and established human
life; and
"Whereas abortion, though
never condoned as elective
birth control, is mandated by
Jewish law when the
pregnancy threatens the life
or well being of the mother;
and
"Whereas
legislation
outlawing abortion would
compromise our obligation to
preserve the established life,
that is the life and well being
of pregnant women;
"Therefore, be it resolved,
that the Rabbinical Assembly
oppose any legislation, in-
cluding a constitutional
amendment, aimed at outlaw-
ing abortion."
It is clear that the Rab-
binical Assembly's belief is in
the main stream of halachic
thinking but is concerned
that even life saving abor-
tions would be outlawed.
Rabbinic literature is
replete with condemnation of
wide spread abortion except
when the mother's life or
health may be in danger.
S.W. (Sandy) Eichenhorn
President, Michigan Region
United Synagogue of America
about and to emulate. If I
want to read about the likes
of Mr. Butterfly, I can buy
People or The Star when I'm
in the supermarket.
Larry Gormezano
West Bloomfield
'Paradise Found'
Reached A Low
`Paradise Found'
Was Offensive
For the past several years I
have noticed a steady decline
in the editorial quality of The
Jewish News. With the article
entitled "Paradise Found" in
the July 7 edition, however,
you have set a new low stan-
dard. You waste two full pages
on the mindless babble of Mr.
Gotliffe in featuring the life of
former Detroiters, especially
"Mr. Butterfly," who have
moved to Maui .. .
You should be featuring
members of our community
who remain here to build and
strengthen the Jewish com-
munity and this city. If you
want to examine the life of
former Detroiters, look to
those who have made aliyah
to Israel and are struggling to
contribute to Klal Yisrael.
These are the people I would
like my children to be reading
I am writing to you re-
garding your cover story of
July 7 about the Butterfly
and Edel families and their
lifestyles in Hawaii. I was
truly offended at your choice
of people to highlight to the
Jewish community you serve.
There are so many outstan-
ding examples of people
leading productive and useful
Continued on Page 12
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