WHEN JEWS
ARE TOUCHED

BY AIDS

Continued from preceding page

suicidal today if you don't
use a condom or some sort of
spermicide," he said. "But
20 years ago, no one knew
anything about it We're just
as innocent as little children
who unwittingly contract
the AIDS virus." "I wish the
Jewish community here, and
all across the country, would
wake up to the danger,"
Robert said. "It's like living
in Berlin in 1939. The Jews
then thought they were safe
from harm. Well, they
weren't then and they're not
now."
Andy Rose, director of the
National Jewish AIDS Pro-
ject, said Jews have their
own hangups when it comes
to dealing with AIDS —
directly or indirectly.
"When it (AIDS) begins
occurring in your own
circles, it's harder to ignore
it," said Mr. Rose, who
started a similar organiza-
tion in Los Angeles before
moving to Washington, D.C.
"AIDS tends to devastate
Jews so drastically because
of the social stigmas attach-
ed to it," he said. "Jewish
communal life is paramount,
and it's threatened when one
of the fold contracts the
virus or is diagnosed HIV
positive."
Mr. Rose said that gay
Jewish men and women al-
ready feel isolated and al-
ienated from Judaism and it
only gets worse when it's com-
plicated by AIDS.
"I'm referring in particular
to the synagogue," Mr. Rose
said.
"Most homosexuals don't
feel welcome, and their
same-sex relationships
aren't treated with the same
recognition as heterosexual
relationships."
Mr. Rose said Jews need to
believe that certain things
don't happen to them.
"It's really fascinating, be-
cause in almost every other
area, from diseases to help-
ing Soviet Jews, Jews are
out there, waving the
banners, funding most of the
current medical research
and chairing all the social
action committees." Another
area of Judaism that is af-
fected, according to Mr.

40

FRIDAY, APRIL 5*, 1991

Rose, is the area of tahara,
Jewish burial practices.
"I can remember a case in
San Francisco a couple years
ago," he said. "A Conser-
vative family whose son died
from AIDS requested an Or-
thodox burial. No one from
the Chevra Kadisha, the
burial society, would touch

"It's usually in
times of crisis that
people feel the
need to reconcile
with God."

Sister Marilyn Bergt

him. So I, and a few others,
ended up preparing the
body.
"It was terrible for the
family and an unbelievably
painful situation was made
worse by a few people's fear
and ignorance."
Mr. Rose also objects to
certain passages from the
Book of Leviticus. He refers

to the verses that refer to
homosexuality as a
to'eyvah, an abomination.
Sister Marilyn Bergt, co-
founder of the AIDS Inter-
faith Network in Detroit, an
organization that trains
clergy and others in counsel-
ing- individuals with the
AIDS virus, decries the use
of religion as a weapon.
"You can't spot-text like
that," Sister Bergt said. "I
have a problem with people
who fling phrases like that
at other people. You know
what, for every negative, I
can cite a positive."
Sister Bergt, who has a
master's degree in biology
and theology, said Jew and
gentile must ultimately an-
swer to God.
"Regardless of one's orien-
tation," she said, "I have to
deal with my issues before
my God. You deal with yours
and I'll deal with mine."
However, it's usually
times of crisis that people
feel the need to reconcile
with God, she said.

Grant Collins and Robert
Lebow: "We have a saying in
the gay community: I'm here.
I'm queer. Get over it."

"In many instances, per-
sons most at risk must deal
with death and dying a lot
sooner than others. Often,
they have not reconciled or
found peace. They're scared.
People have asked me if
they'll be punished for being
gay, for example.
"AIDS is not sinful," she
said. "It's a disease, not a
scourge on society. It's a
virus — like cancer — only
now we know which risk be-
haviors transmit that
virus."
Rabbi Arnie Sleutelberg,
spiritual leader of Congrega-
tion Shir Tikvah, a Reform
temple in Troy, volunteers
at AIDS Interfaith Network.
He said he's called on many
times to counsel someone
who has specifically re-

quested to talk with a mem-
ber of the clergy.
"But I think that Chris-
tians and Jews approach
death and dying in very
distinct ways," Rabbi
Sleutelberg said. "Christians
approach terminal illness
differently. They are more
confident in an after-life.
They are sure it will lead
them to a reunification.
They're more concerned
about being saved.
"Jews, on the other hand,
aren't as sure. We're not told
so in such explicit terms.
However, we don't tend to
dwell on it. We try to em-
phasize this life."
The rabbi, who is a recent
graduate of the Hebrew
Union' College in New York,
said Judaism has a negative
outlook on gay life.
lb combat that, Rabbi Alex-
ander Schindler, president of
the Union of American He-
brew Congregations, said
publicly a couple years ago,
that he was a rabbi for all gay
Jews.
Still, Rabbi Sleutelberg
said, many Jewish gays and
lesbians don't feel comfor-
table walking into a tradi-
tional synagogue.
Rabbi Lane Steinger and
Rabbi David Feder, of Tem-
ple Emanu-El in Oak Park,
want to welcome gays and
lesbians into their syn-
agogue.
For the first time in eight
years, a synagogue is to host
the AIDS Memorial
Candlelight Vigil.
This will be the second
year that the vigil, to be held
May 19, is hosted by a re-
ligious institution. Last
year, the vigil took place at a
Protestant church.
Ted Duncan, a member of
Temple Emanu-El and direc-
tor of Wellness House, a non-
profit organization that
helps people with AIDS, is
busy planning the vigil. ,
"Our temple's social action
committee has in the past
taken up the cause of AIDS,"
Mr. Duncan said. "But there
is more to be done. We need
to show up in the numbers to
show that the Jewish com-
munity is as concerned as
are other segments of
metropolitan Detroit." ❑