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 And, facing similar financial considera- dons, many have withdrawn from Jewish hospital sponsorship.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.