The Impact of AIDS
In the early 80’s, the cause of symptoms was a mystery. As the immunological disease began to spread among gay men, CBST held a symposium on “Gay Diseases.” It was an extraordinary event, attended by over 350 people.
The term A.I.D.S (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) first appeared in the CBST newsletter in October 1982, and remained a topic as anxiety grew.
Controversy
By 1984, the community was ambivalent about how much attention to give AIDS. While advocacy for funding and resources clearly were needed, some in the community were terrified of being re-stigmatized and re-marginalized.
In 1985, the first AIDS test became available. With an epidemic of fear escalating as quickly as the AIDS crisis itself, discrimination was rampant, and no effective treatments had been discovered. Without a system of confidential testing, many worried that a positive test would only cause despair and discrimination. This fear, as well as misinformation and misunderstandings about transmission, delayed the widespread adoption of AIDS testing.
CBST members helped establish the GMHC (Gay Mens Health Crisis) Center. They led the fight against discrimination through Lambda Legal Defense Fund. They lobbied for sane public health policies, and worked with ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power), formed in 1987.
The Toll Rises
By 1992, AIDS would claim the lives of over 100. Half the men in the congregation were gone. As new medications were finally introduced, the rate of death diminished, but 50 more members would be lost.
These lovers, family, and friends remain forever in our hearts. Programs to provide information, to help those living with HIV/AIDS, and to prevent spread are still essential today. At CBST, World AIDS Day is commemorated annually on the first Shabbat of December.
A Jewish Response
“Every Friday night we would come to shul and we would say, ‘Oh no, someone else,’ The thin face, the marks on the skin from the cancers. The pneumonia. And in a year or two they would be gone.”
In 1986, CBST established the Chevra Bikkur Cholim - a crucial Jewish resource in the city at a time when most of the organized Jewish community was still refusing contact. There were informative newsletter articles, outreach to rabbis who would make hospital visits, special holiday observances, meals on Friday afternoons at the shul, and strict respect for confidentiality.
Filling the Spiritual Void
CBST prided itself on the quality of its lay religious and governing leadership but by 1992, as the death toll mounted, the need for professional spiritual leadership became an urgent matter.
From Shopping Bag to Sanctuary