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Temple Shalom Cares About Darfur, Malaria and Unsafe Water
TEMPLE SHALOM CARES ABOUT DARFUR, MALARIA AND UNSAFE WATER
Temple Shalom's Darfur, Malaria and Unsafe Water group is continuing its work to help people caught in the crisis in Darfur. The crisis is about to enter its seventh year. We are seeking ways to do something that will genuinely make a difference, so this gorup has three main goals:
- Educate: raise awareness of the severity and urgency of this conflict, and provide information on the people and the politics involved
- Motivate: urge members of our community to become involved, and spread the word about the need for action
- Advocate: pressure our own government, as well as other world leaders, to make ending the genocide a priority
Please come to our next meeting: Wednesday, February 24th at 6:30 pm
We are eager to have more people join us as we consider ways that Temple Shalom can become involved in this issue. If you are interested and/or want more information, please contact us at savedarfur@templeshalom.org.
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UPCOMING EVENTS AND ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE
Please join us for "An Evening with Rev. Liz Walker" on Friday, March 19th at 7:30 pm following 6:30 Shabbat Haleilu.
Click here for full details
Call the White House comment line at 202-456-1111.
- The White House number is frequently busy - please keep trying, as it is critical to getting our message to President Obama
-Tell the person who answers the phone: "I expect President Obama will exhibit personal leadership and take an active role in seeing this policy through by bringing up Sudan with Chinese President Hu Jintao during his trip to China, as well as with other heads of state".
SUPPORT: Investors Against Genocide, a Boston-based non-profit organization, which is leading a national campaign to make sure mutual fund companies do not invest our savings in companies that help fund genocide. Shareholder proposals have been submitted to more than 50 mutual funds asking them to institute oversight procedures to screen out investments in companies that, in the judgement of the board, substantially contribute to genocide.
Please send a message to Director Jim Nussle of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) about implementing the important provision of the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act (SADA), which would prohibit federal contracts with foreign companies funding the genocide:
Join S.T.A.N.D. advocates to help bring peace to Darfur:
Consider how your investments may be connected to Darfur:
"Justice v. politics," by Louise Arbor, International Herald Tribune, from September 16:
"Global justice challenged in Darfur", by Eric Reeves, Boston Globe, August 29, 2008:
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2008/08/29/global_justice_challenged_in_darfur/
"Biden, Obama and Darfur", the new Republic, August 24, 2008:"
http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_stump/archive/2008/08/24/biden-obama-and-darfur.aspx
See the New York Times editorial "The Genocide Continues" (June 17, 2008):
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/17/opinion/17tue1.html?_r=1&ex+1214366400&en=7fabb6cb984993c4&ei=5070&emc=etal&oref=slogin
"Senator Clinton, McCain and Obama issued a joint statement on their stand on the Darfur crisis, which can be viewed on the Save Darfur Coalition's website:
http://www.savedarfur.org/page/content/Candidates_Statement/
- Submit your own 30 second appeal. Click on Create Your Video, then click the tab for Webcam, and follow the instructions. If you have a webcam, it's easy and quick to add your voice and video to the hundreds already posted online.
Steven Spielberg withdraws as artistic adviser to Beijing Olympics:
Nobel laureates press China over Darfur:
Unkept Promises in Darfur (New York Times editorial, Jan. 27, 2008):
Nicholas Kristof on the Beijing Olympics and Darfur:
Golda Meir House raises funds for Darfur:
Massachusetts Legislature passes State Pension Divestment bill in Nov. 2007, as Chapter 151 of the Acts of 2007:
HOW TO LEARN MORE
"Facing Sudan" documentary film on DVD:
and
Strategy, policy and updates on Darfur from ENOUGHproject.org
- Watch short video appeals from Eric Reeves, Samantha Power, John Edwards and hundreds of others. The collected videos will be played on 9/16 at a Darfur event in NYC opposite the UN.
Visit SaveDarfurMA.org or ENOUGHproject.org for links to ENOUGH reports
- Click link below to read the ENOUGH's new paper analyzing proposals for a no-fly zone
Watch videos of Darfur supporters at 24HoursForDarfur.org
HELP DARFUR FAMILIES LIVE AND AVOID DANGER
Jewish World Watch is co-sponsoring an effort to provide families in Darfur with Solar Cookers, which means women won't need to gather firewood to stoves and thereby face the huge dangers of rape by the militia. It's $30 for a kit (2 cookers) for one family, and a Solar Cooker lasts 6-9 months. You can find more information online at:
SUPPORT DIVESTMENT FROM FUNDS THAT PROVIDE MONEY TO THE GOVERNMENT OF SUDAN
Educate yourself about the impact of divesting of ownership of companies which are directly or indirectly doing business with the Sudanese government. Go to www.sudandivestment.org for a thoughtful and careful analysis of a targeted divestment program. The Sudanese government is uniquely vulnerable to economic pressure. Targeted divestment allows for maximum impact on the government’s behavior and can coax better international cooperation on Darfur from countries heavily invested in Sudan, while minimizing harm to both Sudanese citizens and investment returns.
Learn whether you hold stocks directly, or through mutual funds, or through your retirement plans which are the subject of targeted divestment. Divest your holdings where possible – or clearly tell your mutual fund managers, your corporate retirement benefits managers (i.e. your 401K plan sponsors) and/or your pension fund plan managers, that you want the option of investing in funds which do not hold stock of companies doing business with the Sudanese government.
HELP RAISE AWARENESS AND KEEP PRESSURE ON SUDAN BY POSTING A LAWN SIGN:
Signs are available at the Temple Shalom office. The $8 donation per sign goes to the Save Darfur Coalition.
Your "Save Darfur" lawn sign can make a difference!
"The cease-fire was a consequence of all those armbands and lawn signs," wrote New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof after New Mexico governor Bill Richardson worked out a temporary cease-fire with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. "Mr. Richardson told me that Mr. Bashir was motivated by concern at the way the killings have been spotlighted by Darfur activists. Mr. Richardson quoted him as saying, 'These guys have caused me a lot of damage.'"
HELP KEEP DARFUR ON THE PRESIDENT'S AGENDA
Urge the President to enforce the "Plan B" sanctions against the government of Sudan for not cooperating fully to end the genocide.
Click here to urge the Bush Administration to stick to its deadline to implement - and enforce - tough sanctions against Sudan.
Thank you for your support. We must keep up the pressure until the UN peacekeepers have been deployed and peace is restored in Darfur.
CONSIDER RAISING AWARENESS THROUGH THE "DOLLS FOR DARFUR" CAMPAIGN
Temple Shalom is now selling "Dolls for Darfur" pens and magnets to raise awareness about this crisis in the media, the general public, and Washington, D.C. Contact the Temple Office to purchase the Dolls for Darfur for $5 per pen or magnet.
"Dolls for Darfur" is a project of Temple Emanu-El of Dallas, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism and the Union for Reform Judaism's Commission on Social Action.
For more about this effort, visit http://www.tedallas.org/socialjustice/dollsfordarfur/index.html (links open in new window)
VIEW DOCUMENTARY PHOTOS AND FILM FOOTAGE FROM SAVE DARFUR COALITION TRIP
David Rubenstein and actress Mia Farrow traveled to Chad to meet survivors of the Darfur genocide at refugee camps and hospitals, and posted photos and documentary film footage from the trip on the SaveDarfur web site. Follow this link to view them.
Please visit savedarfurMA.org for details on these upcoming events (link opens in new windows):
Save the dates! |
THE DARFUR CRISIS
The conflict between the government of Sudan and rebel groups that began in 2003 has caused one of the worst human rights crises in the world.
A rebel militia group, known as Janjaweed, has been waging an aggressive campaign of murder, rape, starvation and displacement against communities of African tribal farmers in the Darfur region of Sudan. It is estimated that 300,000 to 400,000 people have been killed and over 2 million have been forced to leave their homes. Some estimates are even higher.
Despite the much-celebrated peace agreement signed in May of this year, conditions in Darfur continue to worsen. Here's an example of what's happening on the ground right now:
There is a refugee camp in the western Darfur village of Kassab that shelters 25,000 displaced people. Humanitarian groups fled the camp last month, after a number of aid workers were killed. The camp's medical clinic has been closed, forcing women and children to travel the dangerous open road for treatment, exposing them to the threats of rape and murder. Security is virtually non-existent and armed men are entering the camp to rape women and rob families at will.
The African Union troops charged with protecting this camp are outmatched and do not have a mandate to use force against rebels. And, in this region of Darfur, there are only 82 officers to patrol an area of 13,000 square miles.
We cannot allow genocide to continue. Your action today, along with the actions of thousands of others, will make a difference. A good first step for anyone who is concerned is to understand this crisis, then to contribute whatever one can to help the refugees. If you are interested in knowing more about the group, please contact us at savedarfur@templeshalom.org.
Links to Other Organizations
There are many sources of information about this crisis, and about the thousands of refugees that have been forced to flee their villages to avoid violent attacks and death. Here are links to other organizations taking action on the Darfur crisis (all links open a new window):
Amnesty International's "Eyes on Darfur" website with satellite images to monitor villages in Darfur: http://www.eyesondarfur.com/
The Mass Coalition to Save Darfur:
http://www.savedarfurma.com/
S.T.A.N.D. - Students Taking Action Now: Darfur
http://www.standnow.org/
The American Anti-Slavery Group
Liora Kasten, Programming Director, lk@iabolish.com
(617) 426-8161
http://www.iabolish.com/
Sudan Grassroots Activism Center:
http://www.sudanactivism.com/
Genocide Intervention Network
c/o Center for American Progress
1333 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20005
202.481.8220
www.genocideinterventionfund.org/
The American Jewish World Service
AJWS is an international development organization motivated by Judaism's imperative to pursue justice. AJWS is dedicated to alleviating poverty, hunger and disease among the people of the developing world regardless of race, religion or nationality.
www.ajws.org/
A Million Voices For Darfur: The Save Darfur Coalition
This is an alliance of over 100 faith-based, humanitarian and human rights organizations. Its mission is to raise public awareness and to mobilize an effective unified response to the atrocities that threaten the lives of two million people in the Darfur region.
www.millionvoicesfordarfur.org/
The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
The RAC has educated and mobilized the American Jewish community on legislative and social concerns on issues such as Israel and international religious freedom, economic justice and civil rights, international peace and religious liberty.
rac.org/advocacy/issues/issuesudan/sudangen/bluehelmet/
Links to Information Sources
The United States Department of State report, "Documenting Atrocities in Darfur":
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/36028.htm
Eric Reeves, a Professor of English Language and Literature at Smith College has spent six years studying the situation in Sudan, and has published detailed data on the rising death toll there:
http://www.sudanreeves.org/
The City of Newton's Darfur Awareness Day, described in an article with links and an action sheet:
www.ci.newton.ma.us/Exec/NCR/july2006/darfur-awareness.html
To contact our committee, or to become involved, please contact us at savedarfur@templeshalom.org
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