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PHOTOS BY GLENN TRIEST

RUTH LITTMANN
STAFF WRITER

Panels of the AIDS quilt were on display.

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Candles shed light on the
grief of mourners.

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The Rev. Jane Adams Spahr
offers words of encouragement.

lames flickered in the dark-
ened sanctuary where
shadowy figures, holding
candles, formed a ring around
the circumference of the room.
The 11th annual Detroit AIDS
Candlelight Vigil took place at
Temple Israel on May 22. The ec-
umenical gathering, which drew
a crowd of 400, commemorated
those who have died and com-
forted those affected by HIV and
AIDS.
Attendance was larger than
11 years ago. The list of victims
has grown longer. This year's in-
terfaith vigil served as a solemn
reminder that the disease, which
has killed an estimated 220,871
Americans since 1981, continues
to take lives of people close to
home.
"Thank you for standing up,
for taking action. Thank you for
remembering," Temple Israel
Rabbi Paul Yedwab told congre-
gants.
In the early evening, one
woman bowed her head and
crossed herself before quietly en-

tering the synagogue. Vigil par-
ticipants represented a variety
of backgrounds: Jewish, gentile,
gay and straight. A few attend-
ed with wheelchairs and walk-
ers — knowing, firsthand, the
devastation of AIDS. Others
came with memories of children,
parents, siblings and lovers.
"We have come to remember
that those who have suffered and
died from AIDS are part of the
human family," said Nicholas
Hood III, minister of the Ply-
mouth United Church of Christ.
There were nearly 20 sponsors
of the Candlelight Vigil, includ-
ing the Michigan Jewish AIDS
Coalition. On display was the
AIDS quilt, a colorful, handmade
tribute to the deceased. Family
members and friends of AIDS
victims nationwide have con-
tributed to the quilt, sponsored
by the San Francisco-based
Names Project.
"The quilt helps give AIDS a
face. It is a Kaddish in cloth. The
making of a panel is therapeutic
because it allows you to express