This banner presently sits in front of Congregation Beth Shalom in Oak Park. Gail Katz, a congregant there who is also a dedicated activist for many causes, ordered it from the Save Darfur Coalition (www.SaveDarfur.org). Simple activism. She took the ball and ran with it. Now everyone who drives down Lincoln Road is reminded about the plight in Darfur.

Since this crisis is not going away, the Coalition must facilitate the drumbeat of awareness. We need more individuals like Gail who see opportunities for educating people and appealing to their conscience. We would love more organizations and influential community members to join the Coalition. Gail asked me to post the following meditation on overcoming indifference ...

"Overcoming Indifference" by Naomi Levy.

Let us pray as if everything depends on God, but let's act as if everything depends on us.

I watch the news, God. I observe it all from a comfortable distance. I see people suffering, and I don't lift a finger to help them. I condemn injustice, but I do nothing to fight against it. I am pained by the faces of starving children, but I am not moved enough to try to save them. I step over homeless people in the street, I walk past outstretched hands, I avert my eyes, I close my heart.

Forgive me, God, for remaining aloof while others are in need of my assistance.

Wake me up, God; ignite my passion, fill me with outrage. Remind me that I am responsible for Your world. Don't allow me to stand idly by. Inspire me to act. Teach me to believe that I can repair some corner of this world.

When I despair, fill me with hope. When I doubt my strength, fill me with faith. When I am weary, renew my spirit. When I lose direction, show me the way back to meaning, back to compassion, back to You. Amen.