Media Advisory/News Teleconference: Five Jewish Leaders

Report on Trip to Chad; 'Bearing Witness to Oppressed of Sudan'
Mon Oct 24


NEW YORK, Oct. 24 (AScribe Newswire) -- Journalists are invited to participate in a News Teleconference: "Bearing Witness to the Oppressed of Sudan" on Thursday, Oct. 27 at 1:00 p.m. EDT. Ruth Messinger, president and executive director of American Jewish World Service (AJWS), led a delegation of Jewish leaders to Chad during the week of October 17 to bear witness to the ongoing oppression and suffering of the people of Darfur, Sudan, and to assess AJWS relief efforts and determine further aid needs.

In addition to Ruth Messinger, the delegates and teleconference presenters are: John Fishel, president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles; Rabbi Rick Jacobs of the Westchester Reform Temple in Scarsdale, New York; Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism; and Rabbi David Stern of Temple Emanu-El in Dallas, Texas.

The purpose of the trip to the region where only a handful of humanitarian and world leaders and some very brave aid workers have traveled, is the latest effort by American Jewish World Service to broaden the awareness of the American Jewish community to the atrocities that began over two years ago in Darfur, Sudan.

Just over one year ago, Ms. Messinger traveled to camps for the internally displaced in Darfur, Sudan to bear witness to the crimes against humanity that were being inflicted on more than two million people in the region and to assess humanitarian aid needs. More than 200,000 refugees reside in camps in Chad.

To reserve your space and receive the teleconference call-in number and password, please contact Ronni Strongin at 212-273-1657 or rstrongin@ajws.org. For more information about AJWS and its efforts in Sudan, visit http://www.ajws.org .


CONTACT: Ronni Strongin, AJWS Public Relations, work 212-273-1657, cell 516-655-0520, rstrongin@ajws.org