Program Title: From the House of Bondage: CLEFTY Acts on Darfur
Category: Social Action
Author(s): Zoya Kolkin, Sam Schiller, and Sara Weinstein
Created for: CLEFTY’s Darfur Program: Passover 2005
Please Note: This program may be used "as-is," however; NFTYites are encouraged to "adapt" programs, combining their own elements of innovation with this preexisting program.
Touchstone Text:
“Tzedek, Tzedek, Tirdof” – “Justice, Justice You Shall Pursue” (Deuteronomy 16:18-20)
Goals:
To raise awareness about slavery’s historical legacy from the time of the Exodus (Passover) to the recent genocide in Rwanda, while also informing PP’s about the current crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan so we can begin to act on these issues.
Objectives:
1) PPs will watch Hotel Rwanda to further their understanding of the history of Rwanda, the meaning of genocide, and the truth about slavery.
2) PPs will debrief and discover solutions and possible ways to help the problem.
3) PPs will call their representatives in government, write letters to these representatives, and purchase merchandise for the support of making others aware about this genocide.
Materials:
1) VHS or DVD format of Hotel Rwanda
2) VHS or DVD player/projector
3) Sufficient copies of the Darfur Packet (depends on # of PPs expected)
4) “Not on My Watch: Save Darfur” bracelets to sell
5) Access to phones for long distance calls and/or
6) Paper, pens, stamps, envelopes
7) Movie snacks
People:
1) Program Participants (PPs)
2) 2-4 Group Leaders (GLs) (depending on # of PPs)
3) Advisor/Supervisor
Space Needed:
Program leader should determine what space to use based on the facilities that are available to them.
Time Table:
0-10 minutes: Mixer
10-15 minutes: Movie Intro & food
15-135 minutes: Movie
135-145 minutes: Individual time for PPs
145-180 minutes: Debrief and discuss
180-190 minutes: Call/Write to representatives
Detailed Procedure:
0-10 minutes: Mixer- PPs will be gathered in a room w/video projection capabilities. In a circle, each PP says his/her name, age, school, and what he or she would do HERE and NOW to make the world a better place.
10-15 minutes: Movie Intro & Food: GLs will share the following intro w/the PPs (GLs should become familiar w/this intro before reading it to the PPs)
· One of the central themes of Passover is the idea that because all of us were once slaves in Egypt, it is now our duty to break the chains of bondage and fight injustice. Throughout our history, Jews have been persecuted and since the twentieth century, have been the victims of the most horrific genocide in recorded history. Genocide is the systematic killing of a certain racial or religious group. A common link between many Holocaust speakers is their focus on future generations. They seek not to gain sympathy and pity alone, but they seek to inspire our generation and future generations to stop history from repeating itself. They intend to motivate us to take action against all forms of injustice. The movie that we are about to watch documents the efforts of a man who stood up to injustice and, like the righteous gentiles in the Holocaust, saved hundreds from certain death. This film is about the genocide in Rwanda that took place in the early 1990’s, within our own lifetime. To just give some central historical background, basically, when European colonists divided the continent of Africa into different countries, they arbitrarily created boundaries that ignored the different tribes and cultures interspersed throughout the continent. In Rwanda, a small country in central Africa, two tribes, the Hutu and Tutsi, were forced to coexist within the same country. When the Belgians left the country, they left their power to the Tutsi, who had more European features, meaning they were taller, had less pronounced facial features, and had lighter skin. Eventually, power was transferred back to the Hutu, but the Hutu still maintained feelings of resentment towards the Tutsi. This tension reached a peak 15 years ago and escalated into a genocide in which some estimate 2 million people were brutally massacred. During this time, President Clinton seemingly ignored this issue and in recent years he has been haunted by this subject and regards it as the primary failure of his administration. When viewing this film, especially during Passover, when we remember the bitterness of slavery and persecution, try to put yourself in your parents’ position. Ask yourself, what would I have done, but more importantly, what will I do in the future to never let this happen again?
15-135 minutes: Movie - PPs will watch Hotel Rwanda.
135-145 minutes: Individual time for PPs- PPs will need some time to think about the issues presented by this movie. It is encouraged that PPs stay in the room during this time to create a sense of community.
145-180 minutes: Debrief and Discuss- GLs lead discussion about the movie. The discussion is not limited to the following questions. It is vital that the group leaders evaluate the mood of the PPs and are accordingly cautious & sensitive to PPs feelings.
Questions to initiate discussion:
1) How do you feel?
2) Do you notice a connection between Passover and Rwanda?
3) Do you notice a connection between the Holocaust and Rwanda?
After the discussion, GLs connect Rwanda to Darfur with the following statements.
“While Rwanda has, to some degree, been addressed, similar problems are currently occurring in other countries. For instance, the crisis in Sudan has been called ‘Rwanda in slow motion’.”
GLs distribute the Darfur Packets and the GLs and PPs read (aloud) the information contained on the first page. GLs continue:
“Furthermore, in Sudan, another human rights issue has surfaced. Along with genocide, slavery has surfaced as a major concern throughout Sudan. The 2004-2005 NFTY Social Action Theme came from the text Mibeit Avadim: From the House of Bondage. This further supports the idea that we must fight against these gross human rights violations that degrade human life and assault the psyche.
Hotel Rwanda teaches us that ignoring genocide, or any kind of injustice, is unacceptable. We cannot stand idly by while innocent civilians are mercilessly tortured and murdered. In a crisis like this, it is difficult for us to understand what we can do to help. One solution that works is directly calling our representatives in government. When senators receive 10-15 calls in the span of 15 minutes, it is a sign that they should take notice of the issue. For some senators, 10-15 calls is considered “ringing off the hook”. Another solution that works is letter writing. Government officials have said that is only takes 3 letters on one specific issue for them to take notice. We can also make our voices known in them media- through letters to editors and advertisements.
After the genocide in Rwanda, we need to learn from our country’s mistakes and prevent another such atrocity in Sudan.”
180-190 minutes: Call/Write to representatives- PPs can now use the information found toward the end of their Darfur Packets to call their representatives and write letters to their legislatures. All information necessary for these activities can be found in the Darfur Packet. PPs can now purchase bracelets and t-shirts.
Background:
1) GLs (and the advisor/supervisor) are encouraged to view Hotel Rwanda before running the program so as to be better prepared to lead the program.
2) The film is very heavy and moving. Although it is rated PG-13, PPs should be warned about its content before the program.
3) Bracelets should be ordered online (www.savedarfur.org) and ample time should be given for shipping.
Evaluation:
This program was run by CLEFTY on the last night of Passover, 2005. While the connection to Passover was a large aspect of this program, it can be formatted to run at anytime of the year. (Note- if the program is run during Passover, kosher food is advisable!) Havdalah can also be included either before or after the program.
This resource has been provided by the North American Federation of Temple Youth.
For additional resources, visit our website at http://www.nfty.org.