Insight
Remember
When • •
Is Cloning `Kosher'?
Front the pages of the Jewish News for
this week 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60
years ago.
1993
Surprisingly diverse rabbinical views cut across movement lines.
SHELLI LIEBMAN DORFMAN
Sta•Writer
T
medical progress that can help save a life
or solve infertility problems — but
rejects the artificial creation of life.
Rabbi Finman disagrees. "The cloning
of a human being is not artificial," he
said. "It's just shuffling around what
-already exists.
"The Talmud said, 'If all the scientists
in the world got together, they could
not create the wing of the mosquito and
put life into it. That would be artificial."'
A statement from Chief Rabbi Lau's
office said, "The moment medical sci-
protective of the life and well-being
of those involved.
"To me, cloning raises terrible fears
of what illnesses could be intro-
duced," Rabbi Nevins said. "It is not
only very unwise but also an unethi-
cal policy to expose human beings to
danger."
Rabbi Finman agrees that repro-
ductive cloning may only be permis-
sible if "no side effects" were present-
ed. He also says the procedure must
be performed only to help infertile
he claim by French bio-
chemist Dr. Brigitte
Boisselier that a human
infant has been cloned
stirred reaction from Detroit's rabbis
that might be considered diverse — or
even unexpected.
At issue are two distinct aspects of the
cloning controversy:
• "medical cloning" — for medical
research or repair of the body;
• "reproductive cloning" — to
create a genetic-replica human
being.
While many rabbis from diver-
gent streams of Judaism are in
agreement that cloning to benefit
medical research would be
acceptable, there is disagreement
over the ethical and halachic
(Jewish legal) fine points of
reproductive cloning.
"The use of cloning technolo-
gy to help save diseased organs
and repair cells should be consid-
ered permitted, and even obliga-
Rabbi Paul Yedwab
Rabbi Daniel Nevins
Rabbi Herschel Finman
tory, under the heading of saving
a life," said Rabbi Daniel Nevins
of the Conservative Adat Shalom
Synagogue.
couples and only when it does not
ence tries to take upon itself duties and
"But to reproduce a human being
involve a donor uterus or donor
areas which are not its responsibility —
from the genetic material of another
DNA.
such
as
shortening
life,
cloning
or
creat-
human being, as opposed to a combina-
In acknowledging the varied inter-
ing
life
in
an
unnatural
way
—
we
must
tion of two people's genetic material,
pretations of Halachah, Rabbi
goes against what Judaism believes about set down borders in order not to harm
Finman says, "A very good thing
the basic belief that there is a creator of
the creation of life."
about Judaism is that there is no
the universe in whose hands life and
Orthodox Rabbi Herschel Finman,
absolute in determining Jewish law."
however, challenges this negative view of death are placed."
Reform Rabbi Paul Yedwab of
Rabbi Finman said, "My fence is just
reproductive cloning.
Temple
Israel is opposed to reproduc-
moved
a
little
further
out.
While
I
agree
"The creation of life doesn't have to
tive
cloning.
we
must
not
shorten
life,
the
Torah
says,
come from two people and still be
"Every morning a Jew prays, 'Oh
`HaShem will heal you,' and that heal-
halachically and ethically acceptable,"
God, the soul you have given me is
ing comes through doctors. The tools or
said Rabbi Finman of Oak Park, who
a pure one,"' he said. "I interpret
wisdom given to scientists to discover
studied legal, medical and business
that to mean each soul is a unique
fertility techniques as solutions come
ethics according to Halachah, at Yeshiva
one.
from
the
Almighty."
College in Melbourne, Australia.
"Creating a human being goes
He responded to a statement by
against
that — as does the idea of
Israel's Chief Ashkenazic Rabbi Israel
Protecting Life
reincarnation for the same reason —
Meir Lau as reported by the Associated
Press. Orthodox Rabbi Lau said Judaism One thing most rabbis agree on is the and both, in my opinion, go against
Jewish law," Rabbi Yedwab says. ❑
requirement that any procedure be
favors technological developments and
University of Michigan professor
Sidney Bolkosky and lecturer Hank
Greenspan offer a new course "On
Listening to Survivors" at the Hillel
Foundation in Ann Arbor.
Former Soviet President Mikhail
Gorbachev receives a Torah scroll
and medal from the Latin
American Jewish Congress in Brazil
for his contributions toward peace,
democracy and human rights.
1983
Detroit spiritual leader Rabbi
Herbert S. Eskin is honored for 40
years of service as a military chaplain.
1973 111M
The Sinai Hospital of Detroit
radiotherapy center receives the first
portion of its new cancer-fighting
machine, a 16,000,000-electron-
volt accelerator, designed to treat
cancer patients with radiation ther-
apy. Of the six machines in the
world, this is the most powerful.
"wir"""4114,111.
1963 /6
Congregation Beth Moses in
Detroit starts a youth study group
on Saturdays and a new Bible study
course beginning with a discussion
of the Book of Genesis with Rabbi
A. Irving Schnipper.
Detroiter Barbara Keidan will be
one of five artists who will exhibit
in a graduate student art exhibition
to be held in the McGregor
Community Arts Center of Wayne
State University.
49
Former Detroiter Sgt. Harry
Rosenberg, stationed at the hospital
in Frankfurt, Germany, for two
years, has been elected president of
the Jewish Council of Frankfurt.
19431Nowsteitownitatig
More than 800 servicemen were
guests at a dinner party arranged in
their honor by Alfred Epstein of the
Pfeiffer Brewing Co. at the Book
Cadillac Hotel in Detroit.
— Compiled by Holly Teasdle,
archivist, the Leo M. Franklin
Archives, Temple Beth El
1/ 3
2003
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