Rabbi With AIDS
Speaks For MJAC
RUTH LITTMANN STAFF WRITER
H
e kept quiet.
When Marc Blumen-
thal, formerly an assistant
rabbi at Temple Beth El,
received the diagnosis in 1986,
his decision was to go public only
after the HIV developed into full-
blown AIDS.
Value judgements and scorn,
he knew, remained symptomatic
of his deadly condition, and Rab-
bi Blumenthal wanted his career
to continue untainted for as long
as possible.
"My ordination is like anyone
else's ordination. I'm not the
AIDS rabbi," he says. "I'm not the
gay rabbi."
As a rabbi — who happens to
be gay and have AIDS — Rabbi
Blumenthal is delivering a mes-
sage to Jewish communities
across the United States: Don't
let AIDS become old news.
Marc Blumenthal will speak about
remaining aware.
"Every couple of years, there's
a new group of teen-agers we
need to educate," Rabbi Blu-
menthal says. "One has to be
clear in the teaching. That means
being direct. That means talking
about condoms from the pulpit.
To me, it's a matter of life and
death."
Next Sunday morning, March
17, at the home of Linee and Dr.
Mark Diem, the Michigan Jew-
ish AIDS Coalition (MJAC) will
feature Rabbi Blumenthal dur-
ing a benefit brunch. Proceeds
will go toward MJAC's programs
of AIDS education within the
Jewish community.
Rabbi Blumenthal will spend
the rest of the weekend speaking
to members of local congregations
and students in temple religious
schools.
"I did not go to rabbinical
school with the intention of talk-
ing about safer sex. However, I
am a Jew and I am a rabbi, and
I have the responsibility to save
lives when I know the danger ex-
ists," he says.
Rabbi Blumenthal, 39, grew
up in suburban New Jersey. He
attended the Reform movement's
Hebrew Union College/Jewish In-
stitute of Religion during the late
1970s and early 1980s.
"I'm not the gay
rabbi."
Congregation Shaarey Zedek
To Mark 30th Anniversary of Yahrzeit of
Rabbi Morris Adler 5t
Shabbat of March 23, 1996
• • • • •
•• • • • • • • •
Rabbi Irwin Groner
will deliver a personal tribute
to his memory at 11:00 a.m.
The community is invited to attend.
— Marc Blumenthal
During his years of
study and after his or-
dination, Rabbi Blu-
menthal served in
several hospital chap-
laincy programs. His
first rabbinical position
was at Temple Beth El
with Rabbi Dannel
Schwartz (now of Tem-
ple Shir Shalom).
In metro Detroit
before his diagnosis,
Rabbi Blumenthal co-
founded and directed
with Sister Marilyn
Bergt the AIDS Inter-
faith Network of Michi-
gan.
He contends that
Jewish communities
are not as willing to face
the facts as their Chris-
tian counterparts.
That's one reason he
chose to speak next
week for MJAC.
"I think that individ-
ual Jews have been very
active, very much in the forefront
(when it comes to AIDS work),
but that hasn't always translat-
ed into community action," he
says.
'We, in the Jewish communi-
ty, hold ourselves to a higher
standard — which, in many
ways, can be good and positive —
but which historically has not al-
lowed us to confront and help
ameliorate many issues." ❑
Tickets for the MJAC
brunch cost $250 per person.
For reservations and more in
formation, call the MJAC of
fices at (810) 356-2123.
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