The Social Justice Committee

Darfur Alert Coalition to Speak at Beth Israel

Genocide Crisis Is a Matter of Local Conscience

Congregation Beth Israel of Media and the Unitarian Universalist Church of Delaware County will be presenting a program on the Darfur crisis at Beth Israel on April 15, 2007, at 1:00PM, following a potluck lunch in the Beth Israel sanctuary. The public is strongly encouraged to attend.

The presentation, entitled "Darfur: A Matter of Local Conscience," will take place on Yom Ha Shoah, the Jewish day of remembrance of the Holocaust in Europe. The sponsors of the event -- Beth Israel, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Delaware County, Congregation Shalom of Broomall and Martins Run -- have chosen to mark the occasion by presenting a program to educate members of the public about efforts to prevent further destruction and loss of life in Africa. Many Americans have been following the genocidal tragedy in the Darfur region of Sudan, and the sometimes-complicated international response to the crisis. This presentation will focus on the current state of the crisis, and attendees will hear a variety of ways that citizens can respond.

The event will begin with a brief ceremony to commemorate the Holocaust. Emtithal Mahmoud will give a first-person account of the suffering there and Lou Ann Merkel, executive director of the Darfur Alert Coalition, will show how grassroots efforts in this country are succeeding in galvanizing public support and governmental attention. The presenters will answer questions and make clear recommendations for action to address this grave crisis. There will be no cost to attend.

Emtithal Mahmoud is a 13-year-old Darfur native whose beautiful poems about the suffering in her homeland have moved audiences to tears and action. The daughter of Darfurian expatriates now living in Philadelphia, Emi traveled in 2005 to Darfur, where she experienced a soldiers' raid of a home in which she was staying. She saw orphans her own age scrounging for food in filthy refugee camps and witnessed a soldier's brutality meted out against a crippled vendor in a village market. She returned to her home in the U.S. blazing to speak out for the voiceless. Emtithal has addressed rallies in Washington D.C. and New York City, and is a sought-after speaker for educational programs. Emi is a freshman at the Julia Masterman Middle School in Philadelphia.

For further information, contact Congregation Beth Israel at (610)566-4645 and the Unitarian Universalist Church of Delaware County at (610)566-4853.

Congregation Beth Israel is affiliated with the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation and has served the Media community for more than 70 years. It is located at 542 South New Middletown Road. Its web address is www.bethisraelmedia.org.