In advance of World AIDS Day Wednesday, a dozen religious leaders met with President Clinton at the White House to discuss spirituality and the AIDS crisis.
Rabbi Joseph Edelheit of Temple Israel in Minneapolis, the co-chair of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations’ committee on AIDS, participated in the Monday morning meeting that brought together religious leaders from around the country.
Edelheit said Tuesday that the president was committed to bringing the AIDS issue “up to the front burner,” and he praised Clinton for holding the meeting.
“For the first time, the president brought religious leaders together to discuss people living and dying with AIDS,” Edelheit said.
The rabbi said he told Clinton about the importance of AIDS education.
“The issue of AIDS education is as important today as it has ever been,” Edelheit said. “Because we’ve had AIDS 101, we can’t assume everyone knows” everything they must know about the disease.
Edelheit said that while many rabbis do “some significant work” in dealing with the AIDS issue, he is disheartened by the overall Jewish community’s response.
The rabbi told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that he has been asked why AIDS should be seen as a Jewish issue.
“I’ve buried 23 people” who have died from AIDS, Edelheit said.
Clinton’s spokeswoman, Dee Dee Myers, said the president thought the meeting “was a warm and open discussion and very useful for him to find out what was going on” in each community.
Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist and evangelical leaders were also present at the meeting.
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