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The Magic Of Life

T

emple Israel's sanctuary
reverberated with song
Monday night in support
of the fight against one of
life's scourges: HIV/AIDS. The Jew-
ish commandment of pikuach nOsh
(saving a life) resonated.
In the process, the 560 guests who
came to see the cast of Cabaret pre-
sent the concert "Celebrating Life!"
generated $30,000 for the South-
field-based Michigan Jewish AIDS
Coalition (MJAC).
It was truly a night to remember.
The singing was great, and so
was the camaraderie. No one
seemed intimidated, embarrassed or
out of place. But what really made
the night was the uniting of the
gay and straight communities
against a killer that knows no
bounds — that infects fetuses as it
kills their mothers, that ravages
women as it does men.
We were proud to be one of the
evening's sponsors. One of the keys
to gaining the upper hand against
this ruthless killer is educating the
public about it. By supporting
MJAC and its ECHO (Educating
the Community About Homosexu-
ality Through Outreach) program,
we help spread the word about pro-
grams that strive to combat
HIV/AIDS.
Jews are among the Americans
who have the human immunodefi-
ciency virus and who die from the
acquired immunodeficiency syn-
drome. But neither is a strictly Jew-
ish thing. Gays, lesbians, bisexuals

and transgenders get HIV/AIDS. But
neither is a strictly homosexual thing.
It's important to remember that
HIV/AIDS kills people, and it does so
slowly and painfully by disabling
their immune system.
The U.S. statistics are daunting.
Each year, the Centers for Disease
Control logs 40,000 to 50,000 new
HIV infections; one in every two
involves a person 25 years old or
younger. The yearly cost of anti-:HIV
therapy can hit $16,000.
But make no mistake: HIV/AIDS
is a global terror; it's especially alarm-
ing in Africa.
What can we, the Detroit Jewish
community, do, beyond the money
we give locally through the Max M.
Fisher- Jewish Community Founda-
tion, the Jewish Fund and our
hearts?
We can learn about HIV/AIDS
and publicize how to prevent it. And
we can get to know the people at
MJAC who honor the Jewish values
of dispening care, guarding dignity
and shattering stereotypes. With a
kind soul and a citing hand, they
instill hope, not ridicule.
It's likely that you know, or will
one day know, someone — a relative,
a friend, an acquaitance — with
HIV/AIDS. Regardless of who it is,
or even if it's a stranger, it's a very
Jewish thing to assist those in need.
But assisting because it is right,
not out of pity or in a belittling
way, is perhaps the highest form of
tikkun olam — of making the
world better.

A Cardinal. Remembered

A

merican Catholics and the national media
focused earlier this week on the colorful
three-hour funeral of Cardinal John
O'Connor, archbishop of New York City.
Any time the nation pauses to pay tribute to a reli-
gious leader's life, Jews seem to pay attention. Such
moments remind us both of our minority status as
well as bring focus to how that leader interacted
with us.
A strong person in both conviction and action,
the outspoken cardinal maintained a leadership
Lyle, particularly in his final years, that relayed
important messages: religious doctrine, even when

See Obituaries

IN FOCUS

Great Fun
Fund-Raiser

The accent was on fun last Sunday
at GameWorks in Auburn Hills
during the Jewish Association for
Residential Care's SpringElation
2000 family fund-raiser. Left,
Franklin Winokur, 17, of Bloom-
field Hills blasts some bad guys as,
above, Dayna Weltman, 12; Sarah
Baruch, 9; and Erika Sallen, 11, all
of West Bloomfield, go kayaking.
The day benefited Southfield-based
JARC's Merle and Shirley Harris
Children and Family Division,
which serves families that have a
child with a disability

C -'

opposed by the majority, must be delivered without
ambiguity and with compassion. And, as the cardi-
nal showed, religion cannot be put in a box and its
leaders must have the courage to admit mistakes.
Cardinal O'Connor staunchly opposed homosex-
uality and the general right for abortion, positions
generally embraced by the political Right. With
equal force he spoke out-on behalf of those with
AIDS, the homeless and against capital punishment,
positions generally associated with the political Left.
A former Navy chaplain, he strongly supported
America's involvement in the Vietnam War during
that conflict. He later regretted this, showing an
ability to confront his own shortcomings and to
grow from such admission — analogous to the Jew-

ish concept of teshuva.
He once compared abortion to the Holocaust,
which created outrage amongst Jewish leaders. 'The
cardinal apologized and became a leading figure in
Catholic-Jewish ties. Cardinal O'Connor, by the
combination of his forceful personality and home in
the nation's media capital, also brought prominence
to support of a strong Israel — and for Palestinian
rights.
Of the many things said about Cardinal John
O'Connor this week, we add this: He was a mentsh
who neither shied away from his beliefs, nor refused
to belittle those who thought differently. One need
not agree with all of his stands to respect and appre-
ciate Cardinal John O'Connor. El

5/12

2000

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