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Death of Israeli Pop Star Debated
.c The Associated Press
By DINA KRAFT
JERUSALEM (AP) - The death of a popular singer from AIDS, and her efforts to
conceal her illness from the public, have sparked a furious public debate here
about the right to privacy - and the stigma that some here still attach to the
illness.
The refrain ``Ofra died of shame'' reverberated through Israel's newspapers and
airwaves today. Haza's reported concealment and the widespread reaction to
Monday's story about it in the Haaretz daily have highlighted Israeli attitudes
toward the disease.
The 41-year-old diva died Wednesday of organ failure. Citing the singer's wish
to maintain her privacy, doctors who treated her at Tel Aviv's Tel Hashomer
Hospital refused to say what brought on her condition.
However, Haaretz reported that she died of complications from AIDS. In an
editorial, the paper said there was ``no reason to demonize'' the disease by
keeping it a secret. The editorial called AIDS ``a human disease like any
other.''
Doctors and family members maintained their silence, and there was no way to
know how long Haza had been seeking treatment or how she might have contracted
the disease. But Haza fans, politicians and others across Israel speculated
today that if she had not feared negative publicity and had sought treatment
sooner, she might not have died.
``I think the shame, stigma, and lack of information are what killed her,''
said Tirza Ariel, widow of another popular Israeli singer.
Fewer than 3,000 out of 6 million Israelis carry HIV, the virus that causes
AIDS. Despite a recent Health Ministry campaign to increase public awareness,
some Israelis still have misconceptions about the disease.
AIDS activists lamented Haza's reported decision to keep her disease a secret,
suggesting it reinforced the message that the disease is shameful. Others
raised the prospect that in a more tolerant environment, Haza could have
followed the example of someone like American basketball star Magic Johnson,
who retired after his 1991 disclosure that he is HIV-positive but has stayed in
the public spotlight and become a campaigner for AIDS education.
Some AIDS sufferers said friends and acquaintances surprised them by embracing
them even after they had ``outed'' themselves. ``Nobody ran away from me,
nobody broke off the connection with me,'' said Avinoam Frumer. Others insisted
there is a price for going public.
Haza rose from the slums of Tel Aviv to become Israel's first international pop
music star, blending ancient Yemenite Jewish devotional poetry with the sounds
of 1980s techno music.
Other papers and the electronic media said they also knew Haza had AIDS but did
not run the story. Some lawmakers and other observers criticized Haaretz for
invading Haza's privacy.
Haaretz's editorial cited widespread rumors about the cause of death and Haza's
status as a public figure in its decision to publish the report.
``The attitude she bore toward the disease influences people, both healthy and
infirm,'' Haaretz wrote.
AP-NY-02-29-00 1128EST
Copyright 2000 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP
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