Oak Park Temple
B'nai Abraham Zion

1235 N. Harlem Avenue
Oak Park, IL 60302
(708) 386-3937

A humanitarian crisis, affecting more than two million people, is continuing to grip the Darfur region of western Sudan. Not since the Rwanda genocide of 1994 has there been such a calculated campaign of slaughter, rape, starvation and displacement.

Government-backed militias, known collectively as the Janjaweed, are systematically eliminating entire communities of African tribal farmers. Villages are being razed, women and girls raped and branded, men and boys murdered, and food and water supplies targeted and destroyed. Victims report that government air strikes frequently precede militia raids.

The affirmation of the sanctity of all people, which flows from being created in God’s image, entrenches Judaism at its very foundation. As a people intimately acquainted with the horrors of genocide, we are obligated to speak out and take action when other peoples are similarly threatened. As Jews, we cannot remain silent.

BACKGROUND

In early 2003, fighting erupted between the Sudanese Government and rebel factions. It was an ethnically based conflict built on long-standing but previously contained tribal rivalries.

The government responded by creating and arming the militia, called the Janjaweed, to counter the rebels. However after all sides agreed to a cease-fire in April, the Janjaweed, instead of disbanding, started terrorizing the inhabitants of Darfur. Militias over the months have killed upwards of 100,000 and raped and tortured thousands of women and girls. They have pillaged livestock, torched villages and destroyed food and water supplies.

FROM THE FIELD

The effects of this ethnic cleansing have been devastating. About 1.6 million people have been displaced; more than 200,000 fled to neighboring Chad, according to the United Nations. Many now live in camps lacking adequate food, shelter, sanitation, and health care. Women and girls who leave the camps to gather much needed firewood risk being attacked and raped by Janjaweed patrolling the countryside.

The Sudanese government continues to flout international law. Despite a cease-fire between the North and the South in Sudan, there is none in Darfur. The government has made no progress in disarming or prosecuting the Janjaweed; Sudanese police forces have attacked displacement camps and forcibly relocated people; there have been recent reports of bombing in violation of agreements the government has signed.

The U.S. Congress declared that the killings in Darfur amount to "genocide," while also urging U.S. President George W. Bush to call the situation in Sudan "by its rightful name -- genocide."

For the first time in its history, the Committee on Conscience of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum has declared a "genocide emergency" in the Sudan, indicating that genocide is imminent or is actually happening in the Darfur region.

After an inquiry into the crisis, the United Nations Commission of Inquiry, January 25, 2005, found that

" government forces and militias conducted indiscriminate attacks, including killing of civilians, torture, enforced disappearances, destruction of villages, rape and other forms of sexual violence, pillaging and forced displacement, throughout Darfur. These acts were conducted on a widespread and systematic basis ... The vast majority of the victims of all of these violations have been from the Fur, Zaghawa, Massalit, Jebel, Aranga and other so-called 'African' tribes."

The United Nations stopped short of saying the Sudanese government was pursuing a policy of genocide, but concluded that the Sudanese government and the Janjaweed are responsible for crimes under international law and may refer to case to the International Criminal Court in the Hague.

In recent months, the situation has deteriorated significantly. Fighting has escalated and several relief organizations, unable to protect their workers, have pulled out of the region. If the violence continues and people do not receive adequate aid and protection, many more Darfurians will die.

HERE’S WHAT WE CAN DO!

1. Dig Deep:
• The American Jewish World Service is sending needed aid, including health and social care and essential humanitarian services. To donate, log on to www.ajws.org, or send checks payable to the American Jewish World Service to: American Jewish World Service, Midwest Regional Office, 320 W. Ohio St., Suite 650, Chicago, IL, 60610-4116.
• The Union of Reform Judaism has set up the Sudan Relief Fund. To contribute, go to www.urj.org/relief or send checks payable to the Union for Reform Judaism (write "Sudan Relief Fund" in the memo section of your check) to: Union for Reform Judaism, Attn: Sudan Relief, 633 Third Ave. 7th Floor New York, NY 10017
2. The Keypad, Pen and the Dial Tone are Mightier than the Sword. Let your elected officials know you want international action to protect the survivors, provide humanitarian relief and seek justice for the victims. Send e-mails, letters and faxes (phone calls also work) urging government leaders to act. Sample letters are at the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism’s page on the crisis in Sudan, www.rac.org/issues/sudangen.html, or Save Darfur, www.savedarfur.org.
3. Spread the Word. Encourage other community members to take action by giving sermons, hosting expert speakers, or distributing flyers and other resources at the synagogue.
4. To find other things you can do, log on to
   • www.rac.org/issues/sudangen.html.
   • www.savedarfurnow.org