Learning Together
Volunteers train to educate Jewish families about AIDS.
LESLEY PEARL STAFF WRITER
4
Joy Schumacher gives the straight facts.
MJAC President Susie Leemaster asks for volunteers.
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14
F
or 14 months, Fran
Kurtagh has been devot-
ing her time to AIDS pa-
tients.
She answers a hotline and
runs a support group for newly
diagnosed individuals through
Wellness Network — a direct-
care AIDS service.
Her work came as a response
to the fate of some friends and
family members who are either
HIV-positive or have AIDS.
So it was really no surprise
she was sitting among 25 other
volunteers Sunday morning,
training for a cooperative effort
between the Michigan Jewish
AIDS Coalition (MJAC) and
Jewish Experiences For Fami-
lies (JEFF).
A curriculum which took 18
months to complete, "Choose
Life So That You May Live," is
a family-education component
for temple and synagogue
schools.
The seminar involves a three-
week time commitment from
schools and the cooperation of
teachers, students and parents.
MJAC supplies the facilitators,
lessons and materials. JEFF
acts as the liaison between the
schools and the organization.
The two groups hope to pre-
sent to six to eight schools dur-
ing the 1993-94 year.
Last January, the program
previewed to eighth-grade and
high school students at Temple
Emanu-El. The single greatest
criticism was, "not enough Jew-
ish content."
"This is an issue affecting our
community as Americans. But
the way in which we respond to
it comes from our Jewish roots,"
said Sue Stettner, JEFF fami-
ly director.
Through the work of the
MJAC curriculum committee
and the sharing of works from
Cornell University, the Union
of American Hebrew Congre-
gations office in Boston, and
Jewish federations in New York
and Boca Raton, Fla, the course
was revised.
Oct. 3 it made its debut.
Ms. Kurtagh was among the
first in the general public to
view it.
"It seems like so long since
I've known infected people. I
guess that is when I really got
involved," Ms. Kurtagh said.
Other participants said they
attended the training workshop
to "help make a change," "get
parents to talk about relation-
ships and coping skills with
their children," and "to know as
much as possible and help teach
others. My family and social cir-
cles won't even discuss this."
Nearly the entire day, from
8:30 am. to 3:30 p.m., was spent
learning basic AIDS informa-
tion and hearing about Jewish
response to the disease and per-
sonal stories of its impact. The
curriculum was reviewed and
volunteers participated in two
exercises.
Experts Joy Schumacher,
AIDS program director for the
Oakland County Health De-
partment; Andy Rose, Califor-
nia activist and co-editor of the
book Twice Blessed; and Robert
Lebow, surviving partner of a
person with AIDS, addressed
the audience in the morning.
MJAC board members led the
afternoon session.
"Philosophical discussions
might make everyone feel good,
but they don't do anything if you
can't put it into effect," Mr.
Lebow said while demonstrat-
ing the day-to-day efforts put
into home hospitalization.
So in addition to discussing
Jewish values, like bikur cholim
— visiting the sick, and tikkun
olam world repair, condom
demonstrations and social ac-
tion projects such as a food
delivery service are included in
the curriculum.
"Our major concern is that
the correct information gets out
with Jewish values instilled,"
said Reuben Rotman, MJAC
board member. "Now we have
a committed volunteer core will-
ing to go out and do some work
on this issue."
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