Editor's Notebook

Community Views

Remembering The 'Physical'
Part Of Summer Camp

Paths Toward Peace
Involve All Of Us

PHIL JACOBS EDITOR

RABBI ARNIE SLEUTELBERG SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

As the special sec-
tion in today's Jew-
ish News clearly
illustrates, sum-
mer camp doesn't
begin on July 1. It
really gets going
now when it's so
cold outside, the
closest one wants
to get to a campfire is to sit on a
floor heating vent.
If summer camp is part of the
Jewish experience, there's one
part of the preparation that I
dread the most. It has little to do
with ironing name labels on un-
derwear or sending the registra-
tion deposit in on time. But it's
part of the camping "experience."
Ever take your children for
their yearly "camp" physicals? For
those of you who have not yet
shared in this blessed event, don't
worry, you probably
will.
I know with my k
two children, it's
unbelievable how the
physical starts ... ap-
proximately one week pri-
or to the appointment. That's
when the question of all ques-
tions is asked. It starts out as
a one-timer. But as the days get
closer to the appointment, it is re-
peated and a little more desper-
ation is added each time.
"Am I getting a shot?" Or,
here's my favorite. "I don't want
to get a needle — it hurts. Please
don't let them give me a needle."
You respond with your usu-
al "unbelievable" answers.
"Honey, falling off a bicy-
cle hurts worse." Yeah,
right. Or, "think of those
poor Third World-na-
tion children who
wish they were only
getting a shot."
You drag your
children into the
pediatrician's of-
fice. You know the
one, with the
blue-and-pink-
dancing-bears
wallpaper and zip-
pity-doo -dah angels
all over the place. Nice, huh? But
it won't work. You know the kids
are already looking around the
examination room for the dread-
ed needle. The blood pressure
cuff, the thermometer, the eye
chart, even the urine specimen —
no problem.
But then, the nurse comes back
for the blood and the injection.
Two skin-piercing situations for
each kid. Great. They start with
the trembles. I know, your kid
holds out his arm and says, 'Give
it to me.'
But mine don't. And what I end
up doing invariably is holding
each of them down, using every
bit of strength I have to get this

done. Ever try to restain a child
who is afraid of a shot? First you
must catch her, and that's pretty
amazing considering the size of
the examination room. It must be
a lot like a middle linebacker feels
when he sees Barry Sanders run-
ning toward him. You grab low
and hold on, hoping that the
nurse is quick with the trigger.
The last time I went through
this, the reward for the physicals
was a movie for the children. I
slept through the entire thing
from exhaustion. I could have
snoozed a double feature.
OK Here's where I bring us all
current.
Though I had taken my chil-
dren for camp physicals year af-
ter year, somewhere along the

examination room in his under-
wear. You know how long you
wait sometimes? It's like being in
a car dealership when the sales
person leaves to appraise your
car. You feel like you're being
watched. I wanted so desperate-
ly just to read something that
guys read.
There in the magazine rack
were two publications, both
women's fashion issues with
semi-anorexic women looking
down at me framed in headlines
about makeup, diets and well,
makeup and diets.
I'm sorry. I took one down.
There in my undergarmented glo-
ry, I started leafing through. Just
then, the door opened. Busted. I
put the magazine back as quick-
ly as possible, with the back cov-
er facing out. The nurse knew.
She knew.
Out went the
arm. She had the
needle. "Give it to
me."
Yeah, right.
I looked the other way
and held my breath. Please,
get this right. Let me go home.
--
She was great. The blood filled
. the tubes. I didn't look. I'm a ma-
cho man hero. It didn't hurt,
well sort of.
The doctor came in, checked
me out. I'm OK Get dressed, pay
the bill. I'm gone.
That's it until next year.
Wrong.
Next year came in the mail
three days later. There I learned
about the number 215, good cho-
lesterol and bad cholesterol. The
day after, broccoli became my
best friend. The problem: I hate
green food. Cake, candy, a
good cup of coffee. The num-
ber 215, 15 points too
\ high, I'm told.
Never, ever before
was food an issue.
This diet, that
low-fat dessert,
none of that en-
tered my sphere.
Until 215 became
part of my life.
Now, my ever-support-
line I had stopped getting checked ive, health-conscious wife, a
out myself. I always thought woman who gets up at 5 almost
when I was a boy that after I grew each morning and walks, and
up, I'd run through any toy store who never met a salad she didn't
I pleased, buying every toy I nev- like, is now on my case.
er got as a kid. Then, there was
Now I have to watch what I
that vow about never making my eat. Before it was pile on the
kids get shots.
creme- filled cupcakes, the red
So, I made that appointment meat and all the "good" stuff in
... for myself ... weeks in advance. life. And on Shabbat, cholent and
The needle? I didn't even consid- chopped liver. I know, if I'm not
er it. Weeks away. A week. Day careful, I'll be getting more blood
after tomorrow. Too late to can- tests in the future.
cel.
Or at least as long as my chil-
I'm there.
dren keep going to camp each
Where's the needle? OK, I do summer. The difference: they get
the blood pressure, the urine, the to go swimming, engage in color
ears get looked at, the EKG. I'm wars, play ball.
doing good for a guy sitting in an
I have to eat broccoli. ❑

Prime Minister
Shimon Peres be-
gan his speech
before the joint
session of Con-
gress by recalling
the words spoken
32 years ago
from that very
rostrum by then-
President Lyndon B. Johnson:
"I would give anything I have
in order not to be standing here
today." Oh, how he echoed the
sentiments of us all.
My meeting with Prime Min-
ister Peres was a moving and
emotional experience, tainted,
of course, by my grief at the loss
of Prime Minister Rabin. After
a moment of silence in memory
of Mr. Rabin, the conference
opened in the caucus room of
the Senate Office Building. Hav-
ing been sent by the Jewish
Community Council as one del-
egate from our area, I was
proud to lobby for Israel on be-
half of the community.
Since the assassination of
Prime Minister Rabin, it has be-
come apparent to those of us
who support the current gov-
ernment of Israel's peace
process that we have been silent
too long. Speaking personally,
I have been quietly supportive
of the peace process and wrong-
fully assumed that since things
were progressing as I would
hope they would, that not much
vocal input from me was neces-
sary.
The assassination made clear
that the vast majority of the
world's Jews, those who support
the peace process, must remain
silent no longer. We have been
praying for the day that Israel
and its neighbors would make
peace so that all the sons and
daughters of Abraham could be-
gin living in a tent of peace once
again.
We must not squander this
opportunity. We must lift our
voices loud and strong in sup-
port of the current peace initia-
tive. We must also be respectful
of those who are against this
peace process, just as we de-
mand their respect.
In Elie Wiesel's words, "If
Auschwitz did not wipe away
anti-Semitism, what will? If
Treblinka did not wipe away
hatred, what will? If the assas-
sination of Prime Minister Ra-
bin does not bring civility to
public discourse, what will?"
To understand the progress
toward peace which has already
been achieved, we need but to
look at the funeral of our slain
prime minister. When Mr. Ra-
bin came to office in July 1992,

Arnie Sleutelherg is rabbi of

Congregation Shir Tikvah.

the landscape was totally dif-
ferent. At the funeral, 40 heads
of state, along with Arab lead-
ers, made up a massive delega-
tion lauding the peacemaker.
Since the peace treaty was
signed with Jordan, 100,000
Jordanians have visited Israel
and 100,000 Israelis have visit-
ed Jordan.
In Amman, a business con-
ference was held for Mideast
economic cooperation at which
1,600 participants voiced their
enthusiasm for the opportuni-
ties peace would bring the re-
gion. Progress is so swift, it is
more a revolution than evolu-
tion.

Shimon Peres

In Prime Minister Peres' own
words, "If we can and don't
make peace, our children will
never forgive us." He told us in
our caucus room that the pri-
mary dangers in achieving
peace are the extremist and fun-
damentalist movements in the
Arab countries as well as in Is-
rael. Extremists are a menace
to all peoples, and we, the ma-
jority, must speak out; it is our
obligation to respond.
Prime Minister Peres shared
with us his new agenda for Jew-
ish life in the Diaspora and in
Israel. He looks forward to pro-
viding a forum for dialogue be-
tween religious and secular
Jews in Israel as well as the Di-
aspora. He hopes that Israel will
be the spiritual center inspiring
Jews around 'the world to
emerge from the Holocaust-
ghetto mentality into a new era
of joyous and positive Jewish ex-
pression.
I look forward to participat-
ing in the evolving of self-iden-
tity of Jews around the world,
who will become evermore
proud of the people of Israel, the
land of Israel, the spirit of Is-
rael. I ask each of you to do like-
wise, through invigorated study,
active affiliation, creative
thought and expression and
mutual respect.

❑