For Har Shalom, healing Darfur is a step toward healing the world

Potomac congregation takes on the struggle in Sudan as its latest social action campaign

Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2006

by Christina Marnik

Staff Writer

The fight for a cause is not something new for Congregation Har Shalom in Potomac, but its recent effort to end the genocide in Darfur may be its biggest challenge yet.

Har Shalom’s volunteer work and social action campaigns are carrying on the Jewish tradition of making the world a better place.

‘‘There is an obligation to do ‘tikkun olam,’” said Har Shalom member Sheila Moldover.

The phrase, which is Hebrew for ‘‘repair the world,” is a Jewish tradition that is passed on through the generations.

‘‘Part of Jewish tradition [is] to seek justice and to make the world a better place than how you found it,” said Moldover, who is also chairwoman of Har Shalom’s communications committee.

Har Shalom has launched a social action campaign to stop what the United Nations has called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

‘‘Time is of the essence,” said Yvonne Paretzky, who is leading Har Shalom in the effort to end the crisis in the Western region of Sudan.

According to Harriet Shugerman, a member of Adat Shalom in Bethesda, part of the reason Har Shalom, Adat Shalom and the rest of the Jewish community has responded to the genocide in Darfur is because it relates to what the Jews were put through during the Holocaust.

Adat Shalom joined Har Shalom and other organization’s efforts to stop the genocide.

‘‘We feel, because of our history, a responsibility to speak out when there are other genocides in the world,” Shugerman said.

It is not just a Jewish issue, said Shugerman, adding that people of all religions should be involved in ending the genocide.

Members of Har Shalom are taking on this cause not only because of how it relates to Jewish history but because of a respect for human life, Paretzky said.

‘‘You have to be involved in this or care because you have to believe that each life is sacred,” Paretzky said. ‘‘This isn’t something you can choose to ignore.”

In March 2005, Har Shalom took its first step to make the congregation aware of what was going on by hosting the ‘‘Death and Life in Darfur” program. The event hosted speaker Omer Ismail, who was born and raised in Darfur but left 17 years ago because he believed the Sudanese government was heading in a bad direction. Now he travels the country speaking to groups about the crisis.

At least 400,000 people have been killed in Sudan, more than 2 million civilians have been forced from their homes and more then 3.5 million people are forced to rely on foreign aid for survival.

The congregation is also taking on other social action campaigns, including one on the environment and one on hunger. Additionally, it is tackling global warming, and members are volunteering at organizations such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the MANNA Food Center.

Part of the reason Har Shalom can take such a large role in social action is because the synagogue has close to 1,100 families in the congregation, said Moldover, who added that this is considered fairly large for a synagogue.

Its size, along with the encouragement of the clergy and the willingness of members, allow the congregation to take on numerous volunteer projects and social action campaigns.

The number of volunteer projects also means there is something that interests everyone, said Sonia Beekman, chair of the Gemilut Hasidin committee.

A few people in the congregation set up the committees and activities and then encourage others to join, said Beekman.

Members of Har Shalom are active in the national Save Darfur Coalition, The Greater Washington Jewish Task Force on Darfur, and the Darfur Interfaith Network.

However Paretzky is skeptical that Har Shalom’s efforts are making a difference.

‘‘I’m not going to say it’s doing any good until it stops,” Paretzky said. ‘‘It’s gonna be a long haul.”