DEATH AND DESTRUCTION IN DARFUR: WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
by Rabbi Marla J. Feldman and Allison Grossman
Why Is Darfur a Jewish Issue?
For the past few years, the government of Sudan, the largest country in Africa, has been and continues to perpetrate the first genocidal campaign of the twenty-first century. At least 400,000 civilians in the Darfur region of western Sudan have been killed, and 2.5 million people have been displaced since the violence began in 2003.
Why do Jews care about the atrocities occurring in Darfur? It sounds like a strange question now that the Jewish community has taken a clear leadership role in public and political efforts to end the genocide taking place in that faraway land. Yet it behooves us to remind ourselves what is at stake––not just for the people of Darfur but for ourselves. The answers lie within our own experiences. Jews empathize with the victims of ethnic cleansing because we have been victims ourselves. We seek to aid the weak and the desperate refugees because, not so long ago, a few righteous individuals helped us––and because too many others did not.
Some would have our country avoid entanglement in Sudan because it is too far away, too complex or too dangerous. Our response is this: it is only as far away as the next act of genocide that goes unchallenged; it is as simple as murder for land, and it is no more dangerous than living in a world that permits the annihilation of a people and turns away from the suffering of innocents.
What You Can Do
Although the situation may seem hopeless, there is much that congregations and individuals can do. Of course, funds are needed for humanitarian relief, but before individuals will contribute, they need to know about the situation. Educating your members, your congregation and your community is critical. Outreach to the media and government officials will keep this crisis on their radar screens until it is resolved.
To educate the congregation, Temple Chai, Phoenix, AZ (961 households), presented a series of educational programs, including showing the film The Lost Boys of the Sudan and hosting the exhibit Darfur/Darfur, along with hosting numerous national speakers in a year-long series of programs. Temple Emanu-El of Dallas, TX (2,610 households), created Dolls for Darfur (www.dollsfordarfur.org), a project that provides educational and advocacy materials and utilizes small “worry dolls” to demonstrate the growing number of victims. Beth Hillel Temple, Kenosha, WI (111 households), used Dolls for Darfur to create a poster in order to educate their congressman and urge him to support the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act of 2006. In addition, it created a photo exhibit that has been displayed throughout the community, brought the issue to the local interfaith clergy association and formed a community-wide Darfur Action Coalition. Similarly, Temple Dor Dorim, Weston, FL (546 households), partnered with local churches to create the Faces of Hunger program, using inspiring speeches, photographs and music performed by their combined youth groups and choirs to educate the community about the crisis in Darfur and raise tens of thousands of dollars for relief. Temple Beth-El Monroe Temple of Liberal Judaism, Monroe, NY (373 households), also worked with the local clergy association to designate the month of March as March for Darfur in order to educate the entire community about the crisis in Darfur through educational and photo displays, a petition drive and an interfaith prayer service with a speaker from Doctors Without Borders. In addition, the congregation’s youth group presented information about the situation in Darfur to the entire student body of the local high school. Through its Families for Families project, the temple will purchase solar cookers for refugee families so they do not have to leave the safety of their camp to gather firewood.
Across the United States, congregations have found creative ways to raise funds and awareness on behalf of the victims in Darfur. Barnert Temple, Franklin Lakes, NJ (447 households), created Walk/ Run/ Ride/ Jump for Darfur, filling its social hall with gym equipment to cover six hours of use. At the same time some were on the equipment, others were viewing a slide show, listening to a speaker from Darfur, preparing Dolls for Darfur posters and writing advocacy letters. Congregation Bet Haverim, Davis, CA (275 households), raised funds for Dear Sudan, Love Davis/Woodland by tabling at the local farmers market, and holding a Fair for Darfur, a Dinner for Darfur and numerous other events in order to feed 110,000 Darfuri refugees for a day––a number equal to the combined populations of Davis and Woodland, CA. Congregations in southern California have coalesced to form a Jewish World Watch in order to educate the community about genocide and provide solar cookers and school supplies to refugee families. Such coalitions are forming throughout the United States.
In each of these cases, outreach to the local media helped extend awareness beyond the congregation to the public-at-large. Our combined advocacy and outreach to members of Congress made possible several key pieces of legislation and the appointment of special envoy to Sudan Andrew Natsios (chosen by President Bush in September 2006 to ratchet up U.S. diplomatic efforts). But we must not relax our efforts. Until the atrocities end, until relief can flow to the victims and refugees can return to their homes safely, we must not cease our efforts to end the first genocide of the twenty-first century. You can make a difference.
To find out more go to:
Religious Action Center www.rac.org
Save Darfur Coalition www.savedarfur.org
American Jewish World Service www.ajws.org
Jewish World Watch www.jewishworldwatch.org
Rabbi Marla J. Feldman is the director of the Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism. This article was excerpted from an article that explains in vivid detail the historical background and will appear, in full, in the Spring 2007 issue of Achim mazagine, published by NFTB, the North American Federation of Temple Brotherhoods. Allison Grossman is an Eisendrath Legislative Assistant at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, specializing in international human rights.
