THE JEWISH NEWS

SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS

SERVING DETROIT'S JEWISH COMMUNITY

JANUARY 18, 1991 / 3 SHEVAT 5751

Attack Brings
Israel Relief

INA FRIEDMAN

Special to The Jewish News

J

erusalem—Phones
began ringing in
Israeli homes at 1:30
Thursday morning, as word
passed among families and
friends that the war in the
GuLf had had begun.
The streets remained
deserted, and no sirens went
off. Whoever was steeped in
sweet slumber remained
that way — at least until
just before 3 a.m., when the
Civil Defense authorities
announced over the radio
that citizens should open
their sealed gas-mask kits
and keep them close at hand.
By then neighbors were
ringing each other's door
bells to make sure that all
were aware of the situation.
Still, a sense of sleepy calm
prevailed.
Israel TV went on in the
dead of night, its broad-
casters looking cool and pro-
fessional as they brought the

public reassuring news:
American planes were ap-
parently dealing with the
missiles poised to strike at
Israel from airfields in
western Iraq.
By dawn Thursday, the
commentators were even
warning against euphoria,
as Israelis were reminded to
stay at home until further
notice. They seemed ready
enough to do so, and caution
remained the watchword
throughout the day.
But by noon on Thursday
it finally did begin to seem
that the allied operation to
liberate Kuwait would not
turn into Israel's sixth war
after all.
Israelis, who had felt deep
down that only their armed
forces would have the
resolve and skill to suc-
cessfully attack Iraq, ex-
pressed gratitude that, at
least for now, America and
her allied coalition had done
the job.
A report on the earlier mood
in Israel appears on Page 24.

❑

Doctors Change
Sinai's Status

KIMBERLY LIFTON

Staff Writer

A

t Sinai Hospital, Dr.
Hugh Beckman is
viewed as the idealist
who made a difference.
Doctors say he mustered
the forces responsible for
significantly boosting the
census count to record highs
at the hospital, which has
been losing about $750,000_a
month.
Administrators and board
members suggest he single-
handedly saved the hospital
from merging with the
Detroit Medical Center, a
move many feared would
result in selling some of
Sinai's assets and closing
the Outer Drive facility.
"He had the conviction
that the physicians could
make an impact," said Dr.
Melvyn Rubenfire, chief of
medicine. "We all wanted
the hospital to survive, but
nobody came forward before
Hugh. He believes nothing

can stop us. He refuses to
think no and he refuses to
think closure."
Yet when Sinai Hospital's
board of trustees this week
voted unanimously to
discontinue discussions that
started in August with the
DMC and focus on operating
as an independent facility in
Detroit, Dr. Beckman, who
trained at Sinai and has
been on staff since 1956, was
reticent about taking credit.
Dr. Beckman said all he
did was make a few phone
calls to the right people —
rehabilitation chair Dr. Joe
Honet, Dr. Rubenfire and
other department heads.
From the phone calls came
a meeting on Dec. 15, at
which time doctors formed a
coalition to save the 38-year-
old facility. Their aim: to
keep the hospital alive and
in Jewish hands in the midst
of speculation that a buyout
by DMC could have resulted

Continued on Page 22