COMMUNITY VIEWS

Where Have All
The Heroes Gone?

I

that he had a few dalliances? You bet
know the economy is good,
it does. He still meaningfully changed
crime is low, employment is at
the world. He fought for civil rights,
an all-time high and people of
showed
strength against the Soviet
all ages are having meaningful
Union,
had
a good relationship with
dialogue about race relations.
Prime
Ministers Ben-Gurion
All of this is truly wonder-
and Eshkol. He married
ful. However, none of this
well, was an award-winning
negates the concern that if
author and raised two very
Bill had a relationship with
together children. He was a
Monica, passing or other-
great
hero of mine. Howev-
wise, he is greatly diminished
er,
many
of us who are
in my eyes.
testosterone-challenged
just
To me it is incredibly
don't understand this
important that my heroes are
unfaithfulness issue.
just that: heroes. That they
One of my favorite car-
mean it when they say they
CAROLINE A. toons is "Calvin &
feel my pain, and make no
COOPER
Hobbes." Although Calvin
mistake of it, I am in pain.
Special
to
is only six, he once asked
You see, I like the Pres — for
The
Jewish
News
Hobbes,
his wise, stuffed
all the right and wrong rea-
tiger,
"Who
is out there to
sons. He's kind of cute; he
inspire
us
with
a
personal
example of
had a symbiotic relationship with
virtue
and
self-sacrifice?
Who
can we
Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin; he
look
up
to?
Business
leaders?
Sports
married well; he's a Rhodes Scholar
figures? Politicians? Celebrities?"
and he raised a very together daughter.
Hobbes replied, "Fortunately, if we
All of this is praiseworthy.
can't
get inspiration, we'll accept
But, darn it, I think he cheated on
entertainment."
Donning his mask
his wife and that is despicable. I abhor
and
cape,
Calvin
said, 'As usual, the
infidelity, political, social or otherwise.
hero business is up to me." How right
It smacks of poor character, and our
he is. The hero business is up to all of
heroes should have character.
us, and it's not too late. I know that
Lately the Clinton White House
there are smart leaders in the world
has taken on the embittered atmos-
who
also possess decent moral charac-
phere of what, I imagine, Cinderella
ter.
may have endured while living with
Our tradition teaches that we are
her stepsisters. Only the ball is over.
made
in the image of God. If God is
Does it detract from JFK's heroism
perfection, then we don't quite mea-
Caroline Cooper is a Southfield home-
sure up. So we have to search for those
maker.
among us who may exhibit a heroic

trait or may have accomplished a
heroic act. In looking for heroes, we
must discard any standard of perfec-
tion in a world of full-disclosure.
A sage in the Talmud rhetorically
asked, "Who is
a hero?" His
response was,
"He who
becomes mas-
ter over his
passions."
In Judaism,
it is the right-
eous who are
heroes, those
who can con-
trol themselves.
We all have
two essences:
the spiritual
and the animal.
They are in
constant con-
flict. It is our
duty as Jews to
suppress the
animal nature
and allow the
spiritual side to
dominate. This
is why we try
to overcome
the animal
aspects of our
nature by trying to fast on Yom Kip-
pur, trying to honor our fathers and
mothers, trying to walk Rambam's
Golden Mean, trying not to covet our
neighbor's wife.

Sometimes we get confused and,
although we may not be bad people,
the animal instincts take over. The
heroes of our Jewish heritage let virtue
be their super-powers and their schol-
arship be their
guide.
Most of us
know the differ-
ence between
right and wrong.
We don't have to
wrack our brains
to decide what is
right; we just
have to do it.
The more we
fight this battle
within ourselves,
the easier it
becomes. It's
kind of like a
diet: The more
we say no to the
hot fudge sun-
dae, the easier it
is to say yes to
the apple. Yet,
still we struggle.
So, as we fol-
low the travails
of Clinton,
Starr, Lewinsky,
et al, the ques-
tion comes to
mind, "Does all this really make a
difference?" Yes, to me it does.
But, then, I'm still waiting for Eddie
and Debbie to get back together
again.

medically trained mohalim of our
community.
This article chooses to report on
the negative and divisive to the detri-
ment of the Jewish community. Isn't it
also newsworthy that all of my col-
leagues perform several britot a year
free of charge? Allow me to go on
record stating that no fee will ever
stand between me and a family seek-
ing a brit milah for their son.

"momentary discomfort" for the child
("Breaking With Ritual" March 20).
We know that the newborn experi-
ences pain during circumcision. The
nervous system pathways that relay
painful stimuli, the brain centers that
perceive pain and the required neuro-
transmitters are all present and func-
tional before birth.
Neonatal circumcision produces
increases in the heart rate, blood pres-
sure and blood cortisol levels in new-
borns. Increased wakefulness and irri-
tability are present the first hour after
circumcision and behavior is altered
for more than 22 hours afterward.
A recent randomized controlled
trial in the use of local anesthetics was
reported in the December issue of the
Journal of the American Medical Associ-
ation. It evaluated the safety and effec-
tiveness of a current local anesthetic

❑

LETTERS

many people does Mr. Cohen truly
represent?
I receive calls from Jews living in
areas removed from the Jewish demo-
graphic centers. They often indicate to
me that they have not been to a syna-
gogue since their bar/bat mitzvah,
there may be no mezuzah, no under-
standing of even one Hebrew letter,
yet a spark of Yiddishkeit exists
enough to call a mohel and have a
proper bris.
If The Jewish News wanted to do a
piece on brit milah, it would have
been wonderful to explain what is dif-
ferent about britot today. Unlike yes-
teryear, mohalim of all movements are
including men and women who wish
to be present, creating a spiritual
moment of holiness in everyone's lives.
I don't make the kippot engraved
with the father's and son's Hebrew and

3/27
1998

34

English names as a "marking tech-
nique" as you deem it. As I explain at
many britot, the kippot are a gift
identical in nature to bring father and
son together. I have also been told that
the presence of these kippot in many
families' lives have sparked the desire
for other pieces of Judaica and certain-
ly strengthened their ability to recall
their Hebrew names.
You also seem to poke fun at the
pictures of serene babies in the adver-
tisements. Does it surprise you to
learn that usually these shots are taken
immediately after the procedure? The
infant almost always calms down very
quickly after a bris.
Additionally, while it may be a
national policy within the Reform
movement that physicians perform
circumcisions, local Reform leaders
support and make referrals to the

Cantor Howard Glantz

Farmington Hills

Neonatal Pain More
Than Momentary

I read with great interest Cantor
Glantz's comments pertaining to cir-
cumcisions. He states that circumci-
sion is a safe procedure that causes