Reform Jews led a lobbying effort for Darfur. More than 300 U.S. citizens of all ages and backgrounds met Monday with U.S. senators from more than 30 states to lobby for intervention in the Sudanese region, where government-backed Arab militias have massacred hundreds of thousands of people. “The purpose of the visits is to let the senators know that this is a purpose of passion for people from one end of the country to the other and make sure it’s an issue of equal importance to members of Congress as well,” said Barbara Weinstein, legislative director for Reform’s Religious Action Center, which organized the lobbying day. Weinstein said attendees pressed legislators to create a special envoy for Darfur and support the $173 million for peacekeeping purposes included in a current supplemental appropriations bill. The lobbying effort was coordinated on behalf of the Save Darfur Coalition of 150 faith-based advocacy and humanitarian aid organizations. The lobbying came a day after tens of thousands of people converged on Washington’s National Mall for a rally calling for increased international involvement to put an end to the genocide.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
