letter to the editor (Jewish Daily Forward, re: "Why Caleb Jacoby's Disappearance Is Our Business")
Jews are just like everyone else, no better no worse. Our communities and families contain mental illness, moments of triumph, domestic violence, and deep humanity. The best of these were manifest in the global Jewish community's successful efforts to locate Caleb Jacoby. I was therefore surprised to read Adena Cohen-Bearak's critique of the Jacoby family's desire to keep their son's health concerns private ("Why Caleb Jacoby's Disappearance Is Our Business", Jan. 24). If the best Jewish values led us all to participate in rescuing a person in need, why wouldn't other aspects of our "best selves" - , ie, granting a family privacy and space to heal - be appropriate? Has our pervasive technological interconnectivity surpassed the Jewish mandate to respect healthy boundaries?
Rabbi Menachem Creditor
Berkeley, CA
