2008 Woodie Awards
Social Action Club Fights Genocide
Issue date: 4/18/05 Section: News
In response to the declaration of genocide in the Darfur Region of Sudan by the United States, the United Nations, and human rights groups across the world, students at Yeshiva and Stern have joined forces to combat the daily murder of African tribal farmers in the Sudan.
On Monday, April 4, on the Beren Campus, the Social Action Club held its first meeting, as Cindy Bernstein (SCW '06, Rebecca Stone (SCW '07) and Stern College for Women Student Council (SCWSC) President Molly Fink organized an information session to raise awareness of the situation, as well as to discuss what students are doing to help. Similar efforts are being organized on the Wilf Campus as well, led by Dave Weinberg (YC '05), Dovid Wildman (YC '05) and Avi Posnick (YC '07).
The same group of students has created an organization called NotNowNotEver, formed to bolster awareness of ongoing atrocities and help foster change. Over the next few weeks, flyers, t-shirts, bracelets and pamphlets will begin to circulate on both campuses to achieve these goals. The campaign will culminate with a mass rally in Central Park, planned for May 8, to actualize the encouraged activism.
Citing her Judaism as inspiration for the club, Fink said, "As Jews we have struggled with the notion of genocide and many of us have wondered, especially in the case of the Holocaust: how is it thatpeople could turn their backs while we were being brutally murdered? A very similar situation confronts us now. This time, we are fortunate to be in a position to help." Posnick also stressed the importance for Jews to get involved. "When we said never again, we meant never again, for anyone, anytime, anywhere."
Genocide is the systematic mass-murder of a select group of people over a period of time. In Sudan, government-backed militias, known collectively as the Janjaweed, are systematically eliminating entire communities of African tribal farmers. The Janjaweed regularly target these farmers, razing villages, raping women, and killing men. Victims report that government air strikes frequently precede militia raids. Many African tribal farmers, however, die by other means as well. Food and water supplies are often destroyed by the Janjaweed, resulting in communal starvation and disease.
This ethnic cleansing campaign has left at least 200,000 people dead, with 6,000 to 10,000 deaths each month. More than 1.6 million people have been displaced from their homes and over 200,000 have fled across the border to Chad. Many now live in camps lacking adequate food, shelter, sanitation, and health care.
Some students have expressed skepticism at the idea of a mass rally of Yeshiva students, but Weinberg insists the goal is feasible. "So many of us sit idly by, unmoved to learn anything outside the class requirements, unfazed by the images of hate, death, and destruction we see on TV and in newspapers everyday. Yet, once our inner spark is lit, worlds can be moved. Students from Yeshiva have done amazing things in record time before," Weinberg said.
On Monday, April 4, on the Beren Campus, the Social Action Club held its first meeting, as Cindy Bernstein (SCW '06, Rebecca Stone (SCW '07) and Stern College for Women Student Council (SCWSC) President Molly Fink organized an information session to raise awareness of the situation, as well as to discuss what students are doing to help. Similar efforts are being organized on the Wilf Campus as well, led by Dave Weinberg (YC '05), Dovid Wildman (YC '05) and Avi Posnick (YC '07).
The same group of students has created an organization called NotNowNotEver, formed to bolster awareness of ongoing atrocities and help foster change. Over the next few weeks, flyers, t-shirts, bracelets and pamphlets will begin to circulate on both campuses to achieve these goals. The campaign will culminate with a mass rally in Central Park, planned for May 8, to actualize the encouraged activism.
Citing her Judaism as inspiration for the club, Fink said, "As Jews we have struggled with the notion of genocide and many of us have wondered, especially in the case of the Holocaust: how is it thatpeople could turn their backs while we were being brutally murdered? A very similar situation confronts us now. This time, we are fortunate to be in a position to help." Posnick also stressed the importance for Jews to get involved. "When we said never again, we meant never again, for anyone, anytime, anywhere."
Genocide is the systematic mass-murder of a select group of people over a period of time. In Sudan, government-backed militias, known collectively as the Janjaweed, are systematically eliminating entire communities of African tribal farmers. The Janjaweed regularly target these farmers, razing villages, raping women, and killing men. Victims report that government air strikes frequently precede militia raids. Many African tribal farmers, however, die by other means as well. Food and water supplies are often destroyed by the Janjaweed, resulting in communal starvation and disease.
This ethnic cleansing campaign has left at least 200,000 people dead, with 6,000 to 10,000 deaths each month. More than 1.6 million people have been displaced from their homes and over 200,000 have fled across the border to Chad. Many now live in camps lacking adequate food, shelter, sanitation, and health care.
Some students have expressed skepticism at the idea of a mass rally of Yeshiva students, but Weinberg insists the goal is feasible. "So many of us sit idly by, unmoved to learn anything outside the class requirements, unfazed by the images of hate, death, and destruction we see on TV and in newspapers everyday. Yet, once our inner spark is lit, worlds can be moved. Students from Yeshiva have done amazing things in record time before," Weinberg said.