The Membership Committee cordially invites you and your guest to attend JSPAN's Pre-Program Wine and Cheese Social Hour from 6:30 -7:30 pm. where we can get to know everyone in an informal setting and explain briefly why we are so proud of JSPAN's accomplishments.

We look forward to seeing you on March 24th.

Please register for the Pre-Program Event by emailing your name and your guest's name to:

Deanne Comer dconsult@verizon.net
Ruth Schultz bubbubdoc@comcast.net

Investors Against Genocide goes on to explain that the investment company Fidelity has large investments in PetroChina, "the worst of the four major oil companies funding the genocide in Darfur, Sudan. With their help, the government of Sudan is pursuing genocide in Darfur, drawing on its oil revenue to provide arms and funding for the genocide rather than economic development for the people of Sudan."

To specifically address the ongoing developments in Darfur, on March 19 a resolution dealing with the selection of investments by Fidelity will be presented at a meeting of 19 of its funds. Investors Against Genocide is requesting that JSPAN members who hold Fidelity funds in their portfolios watch for proxy statements in the mail and vote in support of the resolution. It will also be presented later at many other funds, including Vanguard. It is imperative that the proxy notes not be thrown away, but rather promptly mailed back.

The resolution reads: "In order to ensure that Fidelity is an ethically managed company that respects the spirit of international law and is a responsible member of society, shareholders request that the Board institute oversight procedures to screen out investments in companies that, in the judgment of the Board, substantially contribute to genocide, patterns of extraordinary and egregious violations of human rights, or crimes against humanity."

To read "Boycott: How Individuals Can Move the World to End the Genocide in Darfur," click here.

To read Nicolas D. Kristof's article "Africa's Next Slaughter," click here

Over the last few years I sometimes find myself thinking back on a speech my friend, former Philadelphia JCRC president and JSPAN Board member Barry Ungar delivered many years ago, entitled something like “What feels good is not always what is good for us.” Barry argued that when confronted with phenomena that appear to be anti-Semitic or perhaps grossly unfair to Israel, or simply make us very anxious, we sometimes too quickly muster our considerable resources, be they financial, political or intellectual, to put the miscreant in his or her place. He observed that while doing so may make us feel good, our reaction might not always be in the Jewish community’s best long-term interests.

Certainly, Barry was not suggesting that we react in this fashion simply to satisfy the emotional needs of our community. We do so, no doubt, in the real belief that it is always important to set the record straight, certainly an admirable goal, and perhaps to punish and also to warn others of their fate if they do the same. Such a response no doubt feels very good. After all, who doesn’t want to have a sense that they effectively taught an evildoer not to tangle with our tribe or us again. But I question whether doing so is always, as an uncle of mine would frequently say, “gut fur der Yidden”----- good for the Jews.

Join JSPAN today. Click here for membership details!

The bi-partisan resolution places responsibility for the attacks on Hamas and other terrorist organizations, calls on all nations to take concrete steps to stop "terrorism-enabling materials" from streaming into Palestinian territories and supports Palestinian civilians who reject terrorism and desire to live in peace with Israel. The resolution furthermore recognizes "the rocket attacks and fostering of terrorism in the Palestinian territories as direct hindrances to the peace process."

The urgency of this issue was made even clearer last week when the ongoing rocket attacks killed a father of four on a college campus.

JSPAN urges all of our readers to contact your Representative immediately by e-mail, faxes or phone calls, and urge him or her to support H.Res. 951. The Capitol switchboard can be reached at (202)224-3121. You can also send an e-mail by entering your Zip Code.

For telephone listings of area Representatives, click here.

To view the bill in its entirety, click here.

Praying With Lior" is an engaging and deeply human portrait of Lior Liebling, the son of Rabbi Mordechai Liebling of Philadelphia. The award-winning documentary asks whether someone with Down syndrome can be a "spiritual genius." Many believe Lior is close to God - at least that is what his family and community believe - though he's also a burden, a best friend, an inspiration and an embarrassment, depending on who is asked and when. As this touching and entertaining film moves to its climax, Lior must pass through the gateway to manhood - becoming a Bar Mitzvah.

After scoring Audience Awards for Best Documentary at three film festivals, glowing reviews and a smashing box office opening in New York, the film begins a Philadelphia run March 14 at the Bala Theatre in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania (610)668-4695. Please be aware that turnout opening weekend determines the length of the run. Stars Lior Liebling, Anna Liebling, Rabbi Mordechai Liebling and Lynne Iser, as well as director Ilana Trachtman will be at the theatre at different screenings opening weekend for questions and answers about the film.

To view a short trailer of "Praying With Lior", click here.

I led a mission to Damascus in 1994 and again in 1996 to meet with Syria’s foreign minister and leaders of its business community many of whom wanted better relations with the U.S. and viewed a breakthrough with Israel as the best way to achieve it. Then came Netanyahu’s three dry years. Prime Minister Barak, in 1999, followed a “Syria first” approach and was close to an agreement when he had to turn his attention to the fruitless negotiations with Arafat before President Clinton’s term ended. It is my view that we should let the presidential candidates know that we don’t want our nation to stand in the way of Israeli peace negotiations with any of its adversaries.

Dr. Alon Liel, former director general of the Israeli foreign ministry, is in the United States promoting Israeli-Syrian negotiations. This is Liel’s specialty and has been for many years, a specialty he has pursued in a long career in government and academe.

In 2006, Liel engaged in unofficial negotiations with Damascus through a Syrian intermediary. After several long meetings, he became convinced that the Assad government was ready for a deal: peace in exchange for the Golan Heights

The proposed deal would have Israel withdraw from the strategically valuable Golan while preserving its security with early warning stations, demilitarized zones, and international (most likely U.S.-led) monitoring.

A buffer zone separating Israel and Syria would be established in the form of a large nature park open to residents of both countries. Israel would retain exclusive control over the coveted headwaters of the Jordan River and the Sea of Galilee. Syria would end its support for Hezbollah and distance itself from Iran. Likewise, Hamas leader Khaled Meshal would be forced to leave Damascus.

While the outcome of the primaries and the presidential election is still uncertain, one clear victor in the 2008 presidential campaign is the Internet.

The Internet has surely played a major role in the 2008 presidential nominating process - from massively successful online fund-raising appeals by Ron Paul supporters, to the recent "Yes We Can" video created by Barack Obama supporters, to the millions of comments posted by candidate partisans on Web sites and blogs to influence their peers. But what hasn't been discussed is why all this has been able to proceed without any legal friction. The answer lies in a little-discussed 2006 decision by the Federal Election Commission.

• To read more of Adam Bonin's article, click here.
• To read JSPAN Vice President Kenneth Myers response to the article, click here.

In The Jewish Daily Forward on February 20, writer, teacher and activist Leonard Fein states that this nation has lost the war on poverty initially waged during the administration of Lyndon B. Johnson. We are now facing the disintegration of "our human capital, our people - their health, their educational opportunity, their sense of dignity. .... Even as a goal, let alone as a prediction, the ending of poverty seems a futile pursuit. And if that is so for the United States, how much more so it is true of the world."

Throughout much of the 20th century, American Jews were in the forefront of efforts to eradicate poverty. "Lately", according to Mr. Fein, "it has become fashionable .... to suggest that at long last our prosperity has caught up with us, that we have abandoned our historic concern and tradition, that we have become not only rich but also comfortable. ....... But the growing evidence strongly suggests that the obituary for the Jewish passion for justice is wildly premature; it appears that Jewish activism is on the rise, not on the decline."

To read Leonard Fein's article in its entirety, click here.

To learn more about the Jewish Council for Public Affairs initiative "There Shall Be No Needy Among You", click here.

Please remember that JSPAN welcomes your donations to help us continue our important and effective work in Tikkun Olam. You may send gifts via PayPal on www.jspan.org. or to JSPAN, c/o Joel Beaver, Treasurer, 1735 Market Street, Suite #A417, Philadelphia, PA 19103