MIZRACHI MATTERS SHABBAT B SHALACH / SHABBAT SHIRA. Friday, 26 January (10 Shvat) (Vol 12, No 16)

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1 MIZRACHI MATTERS SHABBAT B SHALACH / SHABBAT SHIRA Friday, 26 January (10 Shvat) (Vol 12, No 16) BEIT YEHUDA Mincha: 7:00pm Candle Lighting: 7:20-7:25pm Drasha: R Mottel Krasnjanski בס"ד Shabbat 27 January 11 Shvat Sunday 28 January 12 Shvat Monday 29 January 13 Shvat Tuesday 30 January 14 Shvat Wednesday 31 January ט"ו בשבט Thursday 1 February 16 Shvat Friday 2 February 17 Shvat 1. Beit Yehuda 2. Kehillat Ohr David (Formally Beit Haroeh) 3. Beit Haroeh (Formally Ohr David) 4. Beit Midrash 5. Bnei Akiva 6. Elsternwick 7. Midrashah 8. Goldberger Hall Shacharit 7:00am 1 6:20am 1 6:30am 1 6:30am 1 6:20am 1 6:30am 1 9:30am 1-4 8:00am 1 Dawn 5:16am 5:17am 5:18am 5:19am 5:20am 5:22am 5:23am Tallit & Tefillin 5:29am 5:30am 5:31am 5:33am 5:34am 5:36am 5:37am Sunrise 6:28am 6:29am 6:30am 6:31am 6:32am 6:34am 6:35am Sh'ma (גר א) 10:00am 10:00am 10:01am 10:02am 10:02am 10:03am 10:03am Earliest Mincha 2:09pm 2:09pm 2:09pm 2:09pm 2:09pm 2:09pm 2:09pm Early Shabbat Early Mincha: 6:55pm Candles between: 7:15-7:20pm Candles: 8:14pm Mincha followed by Maa'riv 8:00pm 1 6:55pm 1 6:55pm 1 6:55pm 1 6:55pm 1 6:55pm 1 7:15pm 1 Plag HaMincha (גר א) 7:09pm 7:08pm 7:08pm 7:07pm 7:06pm 7:06pm 7:05pm Sunset 8:37pm 8:37pm 8:36pm 8:35pm 8:34pm 8:33pm 8:32pm Night 9:22pm 9:21pm 9:20pm 9:19pm 9:19pm 9:18pm 9:16pm Second Ma'ariv 9:30pm 3 9:30pm 3 9:30pm 3 9:30pm 3 9:30pm 3 Daf Yomi SHIURIM Mishnah Yomit R Leor Broh 9:00am 2 R James Kennard 9:30am 7 Drashot R Danny Mirvis 1 (after Musaf) R Chezy Deren 2 R Leor Broh 3 Parashat HaShavua Shiur R James Kennard 6:50pm Daf Yomi with R Krasnjanski 7:15pm Avodah Zarah 13 8:45am Avodah Zarah 14 8:15am Meshech Chochma on the Parsha for women R Danny Mirvis 9:30am 4 Science & Halacha Topic: Halachic Zmanim near the North Pole R Yehoshua Asulin 8:30pm Sefer Shemot for women Michal Kaufman (Lewis house) 9:00pm Avodah Zarah 15 8:15am Scotch & Shiur R Danny Mirvis 1:00pm 4 Avodah Zarah 16 8:15am Gary s Gemara Shiur 8:30pm 4 Avodah Zarah 17 8:15am Lunch and Learn R Danny Mirvis Lvl 28, 101 Collins St 1:00pm Parasha Shiur (Ivrit Kala) R Yehoshua Asulin 8:45pm Avodah Zarah 18 8:15am Yevamot 1:1-2 Yevamot 1:3-4 Yevamot 2:1-2 Yevamot 2:3-4 Yevamot 2:5-6 Yevamot 2:7-8 Yevamot 2:9-10 7:50pm Between Mincha and Ma ariv Between Mincha and Ma ariv Between Mincha and Ma ariv Between Mincha and Ma ariv Between Mincha and Ma ariv 6:45pm EVENTS Bar Mitzvah Gabe Jotkowitz Seudah Shlishit R Yaakov Glasman Seder Tu B Shvat straight after Mincha in Goldberger Hall YAHRTZEITS Benjamin Cohney Karen Diamond Ely Schachna Eva Goldberg Jeremy Rapke Kathy Franks Max Jotkowitz Sam Tatarka Benjamin Cohney (Sister) Avi Gutman Danny Gruber & Sara Garfield Peter Kacser Jack Cherny Jeff Lipshatz

2 We wish a hearty Mazal Tov to: Gabe Jotkowitz on the occasion of his Bar Mitzvah Mazal Tov to his parents: Sharona & Benji Jotkowitz Mazal Tov to his grandparents: Sarah & Max Jotkowitz and Irit & Barry Kave Elly Korbl & Aaron Cohen on the occasion of their wedding. Mazal Tov to their parents: Yvonne & Gary Korbl and Leora & Alon Cohen Mazal tov to their grandparents: Ruth Lewis, Herta Korbl, Nan & Rex Moss BAR MITZVAH ANNIVERSARIES: Elchanan Brown, Shlomi Menahem, Daniel Menahem HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Saturday: Susan Gosling Wednesday: Ortal Rachel & Ariel Ephraim Kaufman, Robbie Reisner If you have an occasion or milestone event that you would like to be mentioned in Mizrachi Matters, please it to office@mizrachi.com.au by 12:00pm on Thursdays

3 ב ס "ד NE W S L E TT E R FOR T HE ELSTERNWICK JEWISH COMMUNITY 27 January Shvat 5778 Shabbat B shalach / Shabbat Shira Yahrzeits during the coming week Arnold Lipsey [Sunday] Arnold Sloshberg [Tuesday] Helen Steinberg (Step-Mother) [Tuesday] Richard Codron [Tuesday] Contact numbers Rabbi Rabbi Chaim Cowen cowen.chaim@gmail.com Chairman Mark Kras imkras@gmail.com Gabbai Elan Jacobs elanjacobs@hotmail.com Shabbat times Candle Lighting this week Candle Lighting time if attending Kabbalat Shabbat Kabbalat Shabbat this week Pre-Shacharit Shiur Shacharit Rabbi s Shabbat Shiur Mincha at Shabbat ends at Candle Lighting next week Candle Lighting next week if attending Kabbalat Shabbat Kabbalat Shabbat next week 8.20 pm 7.15 pm 6.45 pm 9.00 am 9.30 am 7.20 pm 8.05 pm 9.22 pm 8.15 pm 7.10 pm 6.30 pm Secretary Sally-Ann Jaye ejc@mizrachi.com.au Haftorah requests Dennis Max classact@werple.net.au In shule this week Bernie Simai will be leading our special Kabbalat Shabbat, Rabbi Cowen will be leading Shacharit, Daniel Lowinger will be leining and leading Mussaf, and David Bernshaw will be saying the Haftorah. Kiddush this Shabbat You are all invited to the Kiddush which will be sponsored by EJC. Weekday times (resuming on Monday 29 January) Sunday: Tefillin beginners class, including breakfast Monday and Thursday Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday Not this week 6.30 am 6.45 am THIS Friday EJC EJC will hold it s annual Australia Day Feature Friday Night Kabbalat Shabbat with Pies & Pilsner at 6.45 pm on 26 January entry via Brentani Avenue. EJC over the Holidays Kids Club will restart next week on 3 February 2018

4 Brit Mila-Time to Cut the Debate Professor (emeritus-active) Shimon Glick, MD Jakobovits Center for Jewish Medical Ethics Ben Gurion University of the Negev Beer Sheva I am saddened and frustrated at the periodic attacks on the practice of Brit Milah which produce unwarranted and inappropriate distress among parents of Jewish newborn boys about whether or not to circumcise their sons. These anxieties are based largely upon distortion of data and on misinformation on the parts of a small but vocal group of opponents of infantile circumcision. The recent article The heated debate surrounding circumcision which appeared in the December 22 issue of the Jerusalem Post Magazine is a typical example of this literature. Lest there be no misleading of the readers, I am an Orthodox Jewish physician who supports infantile circumcision of Jewish boys because it is an important Biblical command, and not for medical reasons. Nevertheless we Jews are fortunate that this Biblical injunction is accompanied by clear medical advantages, and the data supporting these advantages are currently increasingly supported by ongoing medical research. Just in the past two months there have appeared several review articles confirming dramatically the health benefits of male circumcision. The authors in the most recent issue of British Journal of Urology International reviewed 49 studies on the effect of male circumcision for the prevention of תHIV with the conclusion of the remarkable effectiveness of the procedure. The World Health Organization is deeply involved in promoting the procedure in countries with high prevalence of HIV infections. The average reduction in infections is about 60%. In heterosexual males the reduction reported in the latest summary of research reports is 72%. Opponents of circumcision often assert that many of these studies took place in Africa, and have limited relevance for Western countries. But nothing could be further from the truth. In this day of globalization, and remarkable mobility of individuals and populations we now live in one world, and diseases are not geographically confined. Another major publication appeared in the November issue of Lancet Global Health systematically reviewing the association between male circumcision and women s health outcomes. The studies were not restricted to Africa. They reviewed some 60 publications. High consistency data showed that male circumcision protected women against cervical cancer, cervical dysplasia, herpes simplex virus type 2, chlamydia and syphilis. There were

5 also positive data, but of lower consistency, regarding the protective effect for other sexually transmitted diseases. With respect to penile cancer the Post article quoted Ronit Tamir stating that this was a minor consideration because the treatment of that kind of cancer is circumcision anyway, so what s the point of doing it in advance? Unfortunately her information is misleading. Penile cancer, while rare, can affect 1 in 400 to 1 in 1000 uncircumcised men and has a remarkably high mortality, not prevented by circumcision after the disease has appeared. Its incidence is virtually zero in those men who had undergone infantile circumcision. There are numerous other benefits to infantile circumcision, but I will not elaborate. The detailed documents by the American Association of Pediatrics, the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control all agree that the medical benefits of the procedure outweigh the risks. The article in the JP uses the pejorative mutilation and describes the suffering of the baby as a result of the procedure. As a sensitive physician I have always advocated palliative medicine even before it became popular. As a father, grandfather and great-grandfather to over 70 progeny in whose circumcisions I have participated closely, I would certainly not wish to impose any suffering on any of the infants. But in watching experienced mohalim perform their procedure, I continue to be amazed and impressed at the rapidity of the procedure and at the relatively short period of infant crying as a result of the procedure. If one thinks for the moment at the total number of hours the average infant cries during the first month of his life, the addition of a few minutes should hardly be considered a form of torture. And think of how many painful injuries the average normal active boy sustains in his youth. The traumatic circumcision pales by comparison. In addition the bit of wine pre and post procedure, and a bit of anesthetic cream used, reduce the suffering to a real minimum. Obviously a new mother justifiably would like to eliminate any and all pain and suffering from her newborn, but let us not exaggerate the negative aspects of the procedure. The opponents then throw in a few more attacks on the procedure. They cite the oral suction by the mohel, a procedure performed indirectly using a sterile glass tube by most mohalim today. Then they add the criminality aspect the assault on a helpless minor and with a weapon no less. With this kind of rhetoric it is no wonder that anxious and illinformed parents begin to hesitate to welcome their newborn boy into the historic covenant of Judaism. As I indicated in the beginning of my article I advocate brit mila as a Biblical imperative, whose performance Jews have undertaken for millennia often at great sacrifice, and at great personal risk. But what about the secular Jew, the atheist? One may ask-what does this

6 primitive ritual mean to them? Well the nonreligious Jew will assert that he/she are Jews by culture, by historical experience. If so, there is no question that for better or worse ritual circumcision has been a hallmark of Jewish identification for millennia, in Warsaw and in Yemen, in Berlin and in Tangier. Rejection of infantile circumcision represents a major severance of the child from the continuity of his culture. When one of the hesitators quoted the in JP article states that her grandmother would turn over in her grave if she heard that her descendant would be denied circumcision she expressed the tragedy of cutting off her progeny from their Jewish heritage. In the words of the Bible Ask your elders and they will tell you (Deuteronomy 32:7) The time has come to cut the debate

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