Expanding the Coalition ...



Yesterday, the Fellowship of Israel and Black America, FIBA for short, hosted a luncheon at the Jewish Community Center, which brought together clergy to discuss social issues of mutual interest. The focus of this meeting was on the continuing humanitarian crisis in Darfur.

A number of people have asked the Jewish delegation why, given the urgent crisis in the Middle East, the organized Jewish community should still be working on the Darfur issue. Even as we devote our heart and soul to supporting Israel during the present crisis with intensified advocacy and increased resources, Darfur remains a high-priority.

Simply put, the Jewish tradition is crystal clear about the urgency of doing everything possible to preserve human life -- and whose history includes an attempted genocide at the hands of the Nazis and thousands of years of pogroms and persecution -- how can we not respond vigorously to the genocide taking place before our eyes?