bocs, hogy az alanti szoveget nem linkelem hanem kopizom, de nem tudom, hogy hol van a weben, mert en emailben kaptam a (Diamanda Galas listarol)
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Tuesday February 29 11:28 AM ET

Death of Israeli Pop Star Debated

By DINA KRAFT Associated Press Writer

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.