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291: ADOPTION AND
CONVERSION OF A
HANDICAPPED AND
P OSSIBLY NON-JEWISH
BABY

ɳ Question

Baby A was born in Hakiryah Hospital in Tel Aviv over a year ago to
parents who had recently arrived from Russia. After birth, the baby
was diagnosed as suffering from Treacher-Collins syndrome. [This
causes external facial blemishes, accompanied by lack of external ears,
auditory canals and some hearing loss.]

The baby was abandoned in the hospital by his parents and was
raised for a year and two months in the newborn ward. The baby de-
veloped wonderfully, growing and thriving, and was transferred to the
care of a foster family a month ago. During the year and two months
we were constantly searching for an adoptive family who would raise
Baby A. There were not many applicants and they all wrestled with
the decision and hesitated and finally decided in the negative. Most of
these families were put off by the anticipated problems and difficulty
involved in raising and in caring for A.

A number of religious families who made inquiries about adopting
raised several problems:

1. Though A. is apparently not Jewish, the possibility cannot be
altogether discounted. His parents, who only spent a short time in
the country before disappearing, did not furnish proof of their Jewish
identity and the baby was therefore registered by the Interior Ministry

494 1 Medical-Halachic Responsa of Rav Zilberstein