In June, the Detroit 2 Darfur Coalition met with Mr. Larry Wallach, Michigan Director of Senator Debbie Stabenow's office. Larry is wearing a blue shirt, clasped hands, sitting on the right. That's me on the far left, by the window, talking with my hands.

Representatives from "FIBA," an initiative of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews and Glenn Plummer Ministries, participated in the meeting with Mr. Wallach. FIBA stands for the Fellowship of Israel and Black America. FIBA was created recently for the purpose of nurturing, developing, expanding and calling upon the African American community into its natural friendship and spiritual alliance with Israel and American Jews and vice-versa. We first met representatives from FIBA at the "Soul Seder" in April.

And coming up . . . A delegation of rabbis will attend an upcoming ministerial luncheon to discuss the crisis in Darfur and the Detroit2Darfur Coalition's activist efforts. Expanding into a more broad-based interfaith effort will make our pleas that much more credible and effective.

We are in contact with Congressman Joe Knollenberg's office and hope to meet with him directly next month to discuss Darfur.

On last Thursday night, June 29, Congregation Shaarey Zedek and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra presented our Cantor Meir Finkelstein's Liberation cantata, a piece based on the themes of liberation from tyranny, injustice, and genocide. Over 1400 people were in attendance -- and D2D had good exposure through the distribution of the "Million Voices" cards. We took a moment to reflect on the need to continue the cry "never again" in the face of modern-day injustices. Thanks to PJ for getting us the materials -- this was a broad-based crowd from the Jewish community as well as from DSO attendees and subscribers throughout the Detroit area!