750
Celebrating 50 years of growth with the Detroit Jewish Community
Li i j
1 9 4 2
1 9 9 2
2 TAMMUZ 5752 /JULY 3, 1992
Court Reignites
Abortion Debate
Jewish groups on both sides are upset
with the Supreme Court.
Inside
CLOSE-UP
iltAi OWN..
No Prince
Prince of peace is not
the title for Yitzhak Rabin.
page 7
JENNIFER FINER and KIMBERLY LIFTON STAFF WRITERS
hether pro-
choice or anti-
abortion, Jew-
ish groups and
elected officials
were unhappy
with the U.S.
Supreme Court ruling
this week upholding the
right to an abortion.
In a 5-4 decision, the
High Court upheld a
Pennsylvania law that
reaffirms a woman's
right to abortion and, at
the same time, estab-
lishes restrictions.
Pro-choice groups be-
lieve upholding restric-
tions marks the begin-
ning of the end of abor-
tion rights. And anti-
abortion forces suggest
the court should have
used this case to gut the
landmark 1973 Roe vs.
Wade decision, which le-
galized abortion in all
states.
For Jewish groups, the
abortion issue is never
black and white. Ac-
cording to Halachah,
Jewish law, abortion is
permitted when the
mother's life is endan-
gered. Still, Conserva-
tive, Orthodox and Re-
by ExA, 11r..mull COP VM11 ,, ‘ 1990.
form rabbis and secular
Jewish groups are in
constant disagreement
over when — or if —
abortion is a right.
Rabbi Avraham Ja-
cobovitz, of Machon
L'Torah in Oak Park,
speaks of the gray area
surrounding abortion.
"It needs to be deter-
mined on a case-by-case
basis," he says. "No rab-
bi is going to say it is al-
ways OK. It is a very
detailed and complicated
issue. It involves a mat-
ter of human life."
Rabbi Lane Steinger,
of Temple Emanu-El, be-
lieves it is important for
a woman to make her
own decisions about
abortion. Any legislation
that upholds a woman's
rights will be well re-
ceived by the Jewish
community, he says.
'We oppose the view
of those who advocate
abortion as a right that
needs no exceptional jus-
tification," says Rabbi
Ronald Price, director of
the Union For Tradi-
tional Judaism in New
York. 'We also oppose
ABORTION/page 26
D.rob,log.1 Lo, Ann.! , 7.rn, ynOc at r
Race o The Bench
Four Jewish candidates are among
seven vying for 47th District Court.
page 45
Lucky Break
The continuing fight to resuscitate B'nai B'rith
International.
A broken hand couldn't stop
this 10-year-old state champion.
On The Ropes
page 51
Contents on page 5
page 22
Maccabi Housing Shortage
Baltimore organizers are 300 homes short and on the verge of telling some Detroit
athletes to stay home.
MELINDA GREENBERG
sense of crisis has spread pen if enough homes are not found for the ath-
over the Baltimore Jewish letes. Large delegations — like Detroit which
Community Center: The is bringing 172 youngsters to Baltimore — would
North American Maccabi be asked to leave some athletes home. "We re-
Youth Games are just sev- ally, really don't want to face that," he said. "We
en weeks away
agreed to give these
and about 600
kids some hospital-
athletes from
ity and not house
across the coun-
them in dorms, mo-
try and around the world don't have
tels or hotels."
places to stay in Baltimore.
But Detroit's del-
Maccabi organizers hoped that mem-
egation head, Alan
bers of Baltimore's Jewish community
Horowitz, said he
would come forward on their own and
"is not cutting his
volunteer to house at least two athletes,
delegation" and if it
ages 13-16, during the week of the
comes to that, or-
Olympic-style games. But 300 homes
ganizers from Bal-
are still needed and time is running out. Annette Du rante won a medal in 1990. Would
timore would have
The JCC is just a few weeks away from she be cut fr om the team in 1992?
to "tell the kids
admitting defeat and telling some ath-
themselves," he
letes not to come.
said. "You can't tell kids who've already planned
"We'll know in mid-July if we have to tell the
their summers and made the commitment to the
larger delegations to leave kids behind," said games that they can't come."
Morton Plant, general chairman of the games.
Phonathons are being held almost nightly in
Mr. Plant hates to think about what will hap-
MACCABI/page 26