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December 6, 2002/Tevet 1 5763, Vol. 55, No. 15
Remember the face of AIDS
BARRY COHEN
Editor
One of my cousins died from AIDS. I treasure rich childhood memories of him at family Rosh Hashana luncheons and Passover seders.
Years later, when I was a graduate student, I visited him in the hospital. He was emaciated, hooked up to an oxygen mask, struggling against the cancers ravaging his body.
For me, HIV/AIDS is not confined to poverty-stricken neighborhoods in major U.S. metropolitan areas or the African continent. For me, HIV/AIDS is personal.
December is World AIDS Month. Organizations and institutions worldwide are sponsoring events to teach us that HIV/AIDS is a global threat. The statistics are staggering:
- 42 million people live with AIDS.
- 3.2 million children younger than 15 years old are infected.
- 5 million people were infected in 2002.
- 3.1 million people died from AIDS-related complications in 2002.
If we think these statistics have no impact on us, we're fooling ourselves. HIV/AIDS is inflicting tremendous human and financial losses throughout the world. Millions of people are dying, and billions of dollars are being spent to treat victims, research new medications and help the orphans and widows of those who have succumbed to AIDS.
In the globalized world - with nations' economies interlocked and inter-dependent - HIV/AIDS pressures the Chinese economy and South Korea, Taiwan and Japan feel the strain, which in turn affects Western Europe and North America. Subsequently, we in the Valley see the impact of HIV/AIDS upon the health of the financial investments intended to protect our quality of life.
But we cannot forget the face of HIV/AIDS. That face could be our child, our grandchild.
Judaism teaches, "You shall not stand by while your neighbor bleeds." (Leviticus 19:16) The Rabbis interpret this to mean that we are not to abandon our neighbors when they are in danger. We are obligated to do what we can to rescue them.
HIV/AIDS is an insidious disease that threatens our neighbors and our families.
We can choose not to stand by idly by getting involved locally with Aids Project Arizona or Body Positive, two organizations devoted to helping those struggling with HIV/AIDS and to educating the community about the realities - not the myths - of the disease.
Aids Project Arizona is in need of volunteers to help with a food pantry, a wellness center and an HIV education department. Call Pati Bodick, 602-253-2437.
Body Positive needs volunteers for an information booth later this month at Arizona State University's main campus. The booth will offer educational pamphlets and information on how to get counseling and be tested for HIV. Call the prevention department, 602-307-5330.
Our religious tradition obliges us to act against the threat of HIV/AIDS. It is time to respond not only for ourselves, but also for our children and grandchildren, to ensure that they will inherit a world safer than the one in which we live today.
Contact the writer at barry_cohen@jewishaz.com.
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