Dear Cynthia,
Tonight marks the beginning of Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, when we honor the memory of the six million Jews who were slaughtered while the world stood silently by. As Jews, we have a deep understanding of the danger of inaction in the face of genocide. And so Yom HaShoah also serves as a reminder that as global citizens and advocates for justice, there is much more that we can do - especially for the people of Darfur. This Yom HaShoah, please join me and other members of the AJWS community by signing an open letter that calls on President Bush not to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Beijing. AJWS will deliver signatures to the White House on Monday, May 12. China has acted as both an enabler and protector of the government of Sudan. Since 2004, China has supplied 90 percent of all small arms purchased by Sudan - weapons used in the murder and forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of Darfuri people. And as Sudan's largest trading partner, China continually thwarts international action to end the violence in Darfur. The attendance of President Bush at the opening ceremony would implicitly endorse the actions of the government of China. In the words of Elie Wiesel, "a memorial unresponsive to the future would violate the memory of the past." Please join me in taking action for the people of Darfur this Yom HaShoah by signing the open letter to President Bush asking him not to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympics this summer. Sincerely,
Ruth MessingerPresident, AJWS
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