Today is World AIDS Day and, having spent this past summer in Uganda where I volunteered with an indigenous HIV/AIDS advocacy organization, AIDS awareness has particular resonance for me this year. Aside from listening to motivational speakers in the United States, I'd never had close contact with HIV-infected people before, nor had I been in an environment in which HIV/AIDS was mentioned as frequently as the common cold. It was not unusual for a Ugandan to walk into the tiny office where I volunteered and matter-of-factly identify herself as a "PWA" (person with AIDS). Often, she would ask about HIV/AIDS resources to help educate her family, friends, co-workers, or children.

Not surprisingly, a number of American Jewish women have been deeply involved in HIV/AIDS activism. Mathilde Krim and Abby Shevitz devoted their lives to HIV/AIDS research and have engaged in advocacy efforts for the rights of those affected by the disease. Learn about Mathilde Krim in This Day in History and about Abby Shevitz.