SINAI COMMENTARY
Memories Of "The Jewish Hospital"
r
or anyone born after the 1950s, it's hard to
imagine a time when there was no "Jewish
hospital," a place that openly welcomed
Jewish doctors and could meet the needs of
observant Jewish patients.
As a young adult in the early '60s, a decade after
the founding of Sinai Hospital, I knew of several
interns who would have had no place to train and
practice were it not for "the Jewish hospital." There
was an indefinable comfort in knowing that the meals
were kosher and that a Jewish
, chaplain would stop by and give
comfort to patients and their
families.
Perhaps that's why the sale of
Sinai to the Detroit Medical
Center two years ago and its
planned consolidation with
Grace Hospital have been diffi-
cult for many to accept. Long
after Jewish doctors are accepted
PENNY
everywhere and patients are fol-
BLUMENSTEIN lowing their physicians to other
Special to
facilities in the tri-county area,
The Jewish News
we still have an attachment to
this noble institution.
The concerns that propelled our
efforts to establish a Jewish-spon-
sored hospital were not unique to Detroit. Most large
Jewish communities established these hospitals for the
same reasons. And, facing similar financial considera-
dons, many have withdrawn from Jewish hospital
sponsorship.
The establishment of a freestanding medical facility
has been one facet of the development of our Jewish
community — a reflection of the times in which we
•
Penny Blumenstein is president of the Jewish Federa-
tion of Metropolitan Detroit.
A meeting of the founding physicians of Sinai Hospital in 1953.
have lived and prospered. The underlying Jewish
ethic of gemilut chasidim — acts of loving kindness
— continues through the work of The Jewish
Fund, created with the proceeds of the sale of Sinai
to the Detroit Medical Center.
With the assurance by DMC to continue the
Sinai name in other facilities and promised contin-
uation of the kosher kitchen and other Jewish ser-
vices, I'm pleased that the sensitivities of our corn-
munity will be respected.
And I'm confident that the legacy of Sinai Hos-
pital will live on. ❑
LETTERS
am responsible at Touro College Israel.
I would like to set the record
straight with regard to Shas and Touro
College, which has initiated an acade-
mic program aimed at the ultra-
Orthodox population in Israel.
1. Touro College Israel operates in
Israel under the jurisdiction, and with
the approval, of the Council of Higher
Education of the State of Israel and the
Middle States Association for Higher
Education, the relevant agency for
New York-based academic institutions.
2. All Touro College programs,
including the program in question,
meet the academic requirements of the
above accrediting agencies. The gradu-
ates of both our American and Israeli
branches have impressive acceptance
rates to advanced degree programs at
leading institutions throughout the
world.
2/26
1999
32 Detroit Jewish News
3. There does not exist a "special
one-day-a-week program for Shas
adherents" as reported in the article.
Touro College Israel does offer a
unique program for the general Ortho-
dox and ultra-Orthodox community in
which men and women study separate-
ly as dictated by their lifestyle.
There are some 200 students in the
above framework from almost every
segment of the Orthodox and ultra-
Orthodox community.
4. Similar to all students at the
institution, these individuals must
accumulate 120 credits to be eligible
to graduate. As is the case in other
institutions in Israel and the United
States (such as Columbia, Princeton
and Johns Hopkins), Touro College
offers academic credit for intensive
yeshiva studies in place of general secu-
lar "humanity" studies, which are
highly suspect in the ultra-Orthodox
community.
In this particular program, students
receive less academic credit for those
studies than at any of the above-men-
tioned institutions.
5. One of Israel's major problems is
the potential kulturkumpfbetween the
ultra-Orthodox and secular communi-
ties. The purpose of this program is to
allow members of the former to gain
the professional and personal skills
that will allow them to become gainful
members of society and act in their
current and future positions in an effi-
cient manner. It will undoubtedly
contribute to the bridging of the gap
between different segments of the
population.
Dr. Avi Kay, Dean of Students
Touro College Israel
Jerusale
Facing Today's
World Challenges
Recent articles in The Jewish News go
into some detail on a "Palestinian state,"
which we all must face as an inevitability.
Israel's leaders face this greatest of
all challenges: How they handle their
new neighbor will influence the level
of peace in the Middle East.
It seems that Israeli Jews and Israeli
Arabs can, and are, living together in
Israel. So with some economic advice
and support, Arabs in Jordan and
Syria could also learn to get along.
The most-difficult solutions will
revolve around Jews living in harmony
with other Jews. In a crisis, we all
come together as one people.
Current circumstances constitute a
crisis.