“Never again” is easier said than done.
Yet a handful of San Jose-area teens have decided to make their actions speak louder than words.
The nine young graduates of the Panim al Panim Jewish Civics Initiative have begun a program to bring awareness of genocide in Sudan’s Darfur region to their high schools and the local Jewish community.
Their initiative has already resulted in roughly 400 letters — to members of Congress and the Senate, President Bush and U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan — urging the passage of legislation to provide aid to the more than two million refugees who have been forced from their homes in a systematic campaign of rape and murder.
“Before, I would have felt bad and sent some money, but now, I know how to take a stand,” said student Jessa Deutsch of San Jose.
“The people in Darfur are only asking for the basic human necessities and rights and I have the power to give those to them. It is the most important thing I can do.”
The students have made presentations to the boards of local synagogues and the Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley as well as organizing presentations at their high schools.
Armed with suggested form letters, pre-addressed envelopes, green Darfur bracelets, a videotape and political cartoons, the teens’ presentations have been well-received, and their fellow students have enthusiastically participated in the letter-writing campaign.
The Jewish Civics Initiative was created by Panim: The Institute for Jewish Leadership and Values, headquartered in Washington, D.C.
The nine Congregation Beth David and Shir Hadash Hebrew High School students joined 43 other teenagers at a JCI seminar in the nation’s capital in January.
There they learned about the connections between social activism, the political process and the Jewish community. The lessons were not all theoretical; the students volunteered at community service sites throughout the Capital Corridor and distributed clothing and toiletries to the homeless.
The highlight of the program was a trip to Capitol Hill, where students had the opportunity to lobby their congressional representatives. The San Jose contingent met with a staffer from Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s office and spoke to him about the genocide in Darfur and the problems facing children who age out of foster care.
“The staffer asked us if we had any questions about the way Congress works, but my students told him they had their own agenda they wished to discuss,” said faculty advisor Bonnie Slavitt-Moore.
For fellow teacher Andy Altman, the beauty of the program was that it allowed his students to find a passion that allowed them to grow into leaders.
“The program has empowered young people to address those issues they find troubling,” he said.
“Some of the students who have become leaders in this group have been the quieter kids who have found a passion in these crises and have been able to step forward and take on leadership roles.”
One of those young leaders, Rachel Rosenberg, explained the importance she attaches to the Darfur campaign.
“I knew when I left JCI that I would definitely become more involved in my community and politics when I got home. The Darfur awareness campaign is important to me because, as Jews, we always say, ‘never again.
“JCI taught me that it is my responsibility to do my best to ensure that.”