CUSTOM CABINETRY
Death 101
4
t e
Dr. Fred Rosner addresses Jewish medical ethics in
relation to dying.
—*AR
tat
LISA BRODY SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS '4441fIlitalIttirft If
ndrew Zack of Huntington
Woods was tired of hear-
ing "the barrage of rhetoric
from a purely secular point
of view" on the topic of dying. Now
he wanted to hear what Judaism
had to say about it.
So he, along with about 200
others, attended a talk on the sub-
ject Monday night by Dr. Fred
Rosner, director of the Depart-
ment of Medicine at Queens Hos-
pital Center in New York.
"It is vitally important that we
in the Jewish community hear
the Jewish perspective on this
topic of dying, and Judaism's
point of view," Mr. Zack said. "For
quite some time, we have been
subjected to a barrage of rhetoric
from a purely secular point of
view, most obviously from Dr.
Kevorkian and his proponents."
Dr. Rosner, a world-recognized
authority on Jewish medical
ethics, addressed the topics of dy-
ing, euthanasia, assisted suicide,
living wills and organ donation.
The event was sponsored by Jew-
ish Family Service and Hospice
of Southeastern Michigan.
`The Midrash is very clear that
our lives are tri-patriarchal — the
father, the mother and God," Dr.
Rosner began. "All are of equal
importance. Everyone has a right
to live. Life is precious from its be-
ginning to its end."
With that, Dr. Rosner
launched into the topic of assist-
ed suicide, avoiding a reference
to Dr. Jack Kevorkian, the pro-
ponent of assisted suicide also
known as Dr. Death. Instead, he
gave the biblical reference of King
Saul, the first recognized assist-
ed suicide. He noted that the man
who helped King Saul was
brought up on capital charges,
"for hastening death by even two
minutes is murder in Judaism,"
Dr. Rosner explained.
He said the Mishnah is clear:
A person close to death is consid-
ered a living person in all respects
and the Talmud says one can do
nothing to move or hurt a person
that may possibly hasten death.
"Like a flickering flame that
you touch, it could go out," he said.
"Judaism does not permit eu-
thanasia under any circum-
stances."
Dr. Rosner emphasized an-
other Mishnah statement: "He
who closes the eyes of a dying per-
son while he is alive is considered
a murderer."
Just as death should not be
hastened, there are times, Dr.
Rosner noted, when life support
should not be used under Jewish
law. There are times when life
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support_can be interpreted as an
impediment to death.
"It is appropriate to let nature
take its course when there is
nothing left medically to do. Hero-
ic measures are not allowed," he
said. But pain relief is another is-
sue and an obligation for physi-
cians until the end.
"Life is precious; it is of great
value," he said.
Stewart Weiner, a member of
the executive committee of Jew-
ish Family Service, said, 'This is-
"Life is precious; it
is of great value."
— Dr. Fred Rosner
sue transcends generational lines,
and is particularly timely given
the change in demographics in
our community and in our coun-
try.
,,
Brenda Neumann of Farm-
ington Hills was struck by the
depth of Jewish law that deals
with medical treatment.
"God brings us into this world
and He brings us out," she said.
"When we are ill, we are in God's
hands."
❑
Balalaika Soloist
With The DSO
DSO Music Director Neeme Jarvi
will highlight two composers in-
fluenced by the traditions of folk
music in their homelands: Hun-
garian composer Zoltan Kodaly
and Estonian composer Eduard
Tubin.
Music of these composers will
be presented by the Detroit Sym-
phony Orchestra, with balalaika
virtuoso Gennady Zut, at 10:45
a.m. (coffee series) Friday, May
17; 8:30 p.m. Saturday, May 18;
and at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 19, at
Detroit Orchestra Hall.
Born and raised in the small
Siberian city of Tumen, Gennady
Zut began studies on the balalai-
ka at age 12. He emigrated to
Southfield in 1992 where he
made his DSO debut at the
Meadow Brook Music Festival,
performing Liszt's Hungarian
Rhapsody No. 2.
Next weekend, Mr. Zut will
perform Tubin's Balalaika Con-
certo, which features the balalai-
ka, a Russian folk stringed
instrument.
Tickets are $15 $55 and avail-
able at the Orchestra Hall box of-
fice, (313) 833-3700, or at
Ticketmaster, (810) 645 6666. ❑
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