Friday, October 5, 2018

On The Stigma And Changing Trends For HIV Positive Members Of The Jewish Community

By Edward Lee


It is enough deadweight to suffer from the physical load of a disease or an illness. How much more if one would have to suffer mental and emotional stress galore brought about by discrimination and stigmatization to a certain disease. This is an experience commonly borne by the HIV Jewish Community NYC.

HIV, or Human Immunodeficiency Virus, is the viral strain that causes AIDS, which is the advanced stage of the infection. This is usually transmitted through direct contact with infected body fluids. There is also a so called perinatal transmission of a virus, passed from mother to child during her pregnancy.

The stigma surrounding the disease is a staple knowledge to most. Even a reputable newspaper media outlet referred to it as a new kind of cancer in 1981. Consequently, AIDS has been much bandied about as something called gay cancer. If thats overwhelming enough to take into account, all the more so when you take the conversation into another nifty channel thats called religion.

A common oversimplification of a disease of this magnitude is that it is something that homosexuals primarily incur. Its a topic for another day, but the LGBTQ minority is one that is universally not accepted in most major religions. Of course, there are sympathetic subsets in every group, but there is no single denomination where conservatives and all out hate groups dont exist. Therefore, AIDS is something thats perceived in most religions as rightful punishment for sinful conduct.

That view purports and oversimplifies the ways in which the virus can be transmitted. It doesnt take into account the people that acquired it congenitally or unknowingly. This says much about the general state of awareness of the general public regarding this illness. With the advent of effective drug treatments, AIDS has changed from a deadly disease to a chronic, though manageable condition. The vast majority of its sufferers, though, remain as silent as ever.

In the NYC Jewish community, its said that there still exists the predominant assumption that AIDS is something thats mainly in the turf of homosexuals, drug users, prostitutes, and Third World Immigrants. Moreover, there is no accredited central authority on HIV groups and associations thats collectively accepted by the community as a whole. Its a small wonder that discrimination still abounds.

Certain individuals took up the mantle by themselves and formed the first gay synagogues where they are free to address the issues that are unique to their group. Now, there is a New York City based group that holds leadership training and seminars on HIV awareness. The program discusses the risks and prevention of AIDS, and the stigma undergone by its sufferers.

One of the tenets of Judaism speaks of the value of protecting the vulnerable in their society. Some individuals and groups live by this. The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, for instance, calls upon its congregations to reach out to individuals infected by HIV.

A fitting rallying cry is one introduced by yet another Jewish group. It states that silence equates to death and action equates to life. This pretty much sums up how being aware, informed, and proactive can consequently save a life.




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