COMPILED BY ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM
A Silver Lining In Israel
How Do You Spell Relief
For 8-Day-Old Baby Boys?
N
ew York (JTA) —
An ancient ceremo-
ny is about to enter
the modern medical age.
A leading rabbinic
authority has just
approved for use during
brit milah ceremonies a
topical anesthetic that
reduces the pain of cir-
cumcision.
A scientific study, con-
ducted at the Montreal
Children's Hospital by a
team of McGill University
researchers, published its
findings on the anesthetic
cream in the Aug. 18 edi-
tion of the Journal of the
American Medical Asso-
ciation.
Rabbi Moshe Tendler,
professor of Jewish med-
ical ethics and of biology
at Yeshiva University,
said use of the anesthetic
cannot be required of
mohelim, those who per-
form the ritual circumci-
sion, until its effect on
more children is consid-
ered.
The McGill study in-
cluded 28 baby boys.
In the meantime, how-
ever, Rabbi Tendler is
encouraging the use of the
cream, with a pediatri-
cian's approval, to prevent
pain.
Convicts Sing (Sing) About Meals
T
hey may be behind
bars, but that doesn't
mean they're not
craving a tempting meal of
gefilte fish and chicken.
Now they're going to get it.
Beginning this Rosh
Hashanah, Jewish inmates
at Sing Sing are set to
begin receiving kosher
meals. According to a
report in the New York
Times, the dozen or so
Jewish prisoners at the
facility celebrated the
news with a prayer ser-
vice, singing and dancing.
"God tsu danken (Thank
God)," said Charles Fried-
good, who is in for murder.
"We're able to be Yiddin
here."
New York prison offi-
cials say that Sing Sing is
just the beginning. In the
coming months, they
report, kosher meals will
be available to inmates —
about 900 of whom are
Jewish — at state prisons
throughout New York.
The meals will be cold
and feature meats, fish
and cheese (not served at
the same time, of course)
and vegetables.
`Life Goes On' Star Attends Awards
ctress Andrea Freid-
man recently joined
er colleague Chris
Burke at a - -- , rs-,,,,
Multiple
Sclerosis
Association
of America
program
where Mr.
Burke and
MSAA .,
founder
John Hodson received
Victory Awards.
Ms. Freidman and Mr.
Burke, both of whom have
Down's syndrome, appear
Ah
on the ABC program "Life
Goes On."
The Victory Award is
A given an-
nually to
those who
"best ex-
emplify
excep-
tional
strength
and cour-
age in the
face of adversity." For
information, contact the
Multiple Sclerosis Asso-
ciation of America at 1-
800-833-4MSA.
Israel, Egypt
Discuss Union
I
srael and Egypt are
working together to set
up an eastern Medi-
terranean tourism union
including Egypt, Israel,
Turkey, Cyprus, Greece
and Jordan, according to a
report in the Israeli daily
Ha'artez.
Israeli and Egyptian
tourism ministers Uzi
Baram and Fuad Sultan
discussed plans for the
union, the official
announcement for which
will be made in November
as part of the international
tourism exhibit to be held
in London.
ADL Wants
Investigation
I
n a letter to the attor-
ney general in Munich,
the Anti-Defamation
League has called for an
investigation into allega-
tions that Dr. Hans
Joachim Sewering, a
prominent German physi-
cian, was responsible for
the deaths of dozens of
innocent persons as part of
the Nazi euthanasia pro-
gram.
The ADL called for an
investigation several
months ago, when Dr.
Sewering was president-
elect of the World Medical
Association (WMA). The
ADL has been purSuing
the matter with the chief
prosecutor in Munich and
the German Medical Asso-
ciation, but has received no
satisfactory response.
Dr. Sewering has step-
ped down from his post as
WMA president-elect.
I
n the Ben Shemen
Forest near Ben-
Gurion Airport, just off
the main highway between
Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, a
new Silver Village is rising
in K'far Daniel.
The village, which will
employ 30 newly arrived
Yemenite immigrants
whose ancestors for gener-
ations practiced the art of
silversmithing, is the
brainchild of Yaacov
Merdinger (pictured),
president of Hazorfilm
Ltd., Israel's largest man-
ufacturer and exporter of
sterling silver and silver
Judaica.
The Silver Village will
contain a workshop and
retail outlet, a restaurant
and exhibition hall, and
homes for the craftsmen.
"This will permit the
Yemenite designers to
work in their chosen pro-
fession and maintain their
own customs and lifestyles
while integrating their
designs with those of our
Israeli silversmiths," Mr.
Merdinger said. "We
expect Silver Village to
become a major tourist
attraction."
Hadassah Launches
`Care Campaign'
O
ne in every nine
women will develop
breast cancer.
Yet the devastating
effects of the disease can
be lessened — and possi-
bly eliminated — with the
right kind of education.
Medical experts agree
that early detection is the
key to survival.
To underscore this mes-
sage, Hadassah has creat-
ed an ongoing national
breast cancer education
program called
"Hadassah Cares," to be
launched during October,
National Breast Cancer
Awareness Month.
The coordinated efforts
of Hadassah's 1,500 chap-
ters in the United States
and Puerto Rico will
include letter writing and
public awareness cam-
paigns aimed at achieving
the necessary state and
local funding to promote
research into the cause of,
and cure for, breast can-
cer.
As part of their cam-
paign, Hadassah mem-
bers are wearing pink rib-
bons marked "Hadassah
Cares" and the organiza-
tion is offering a free card,
to be placed in the show-
er, showing women how
to perform a monthly
breast self-examination.
For a copy of the show-
er card, write Hadassah
at 50 W. 58th St., New
York, NY 10019.