Simon Deng came to speak to the McMaster community last March. The event was a huge success with over 120 people in attendance thanks to Israel On Campus and its partners: Students Taking Action Now Darfur (STAND), WarChild, McMaster for Human Rights in Iran, and the Jewish Students Association. His message is more important than ever. Read below for a great article by Mr. Deng in the Jerusalem Post from December 8th, 2009

Israel must do right by its Sudanese refugees

Dec. 7, 2009

SIMON DENG , THE JERUSALEM POST

There are 2,500 people in Israel just like me - Christians from Southern Sudan who were persecuted brutally by the Khartoum government and who have always loved and admired the Jewish state. The Christians of Southern Sudan and the people of Israel share a great deal in common - religious heritage, a long memory of oppression, and the enmity of the worst regimes in the Middle East and Africa.

As a former child slave in Southern Sudan who now fights for two interrelated causes - the State of Israel and the abolition of slavery in the Muslim world - I want to tell the people of this country about my countrymen who are seeking refuge here.

They are not a threat to you; on the contrary, they are lovers of Zion and natural allies of the Jewish state. What's more, they are ready to be a bridge between this country and the independent nation of Southern Sudan that is waiting to be born a little over a year from now.

Thus, there are two reasons why Israel needs to do right by the refugees from Southern Sudan - for their sake and for the sake of Israel itself.

Currently some 6,000 Sudanese refugees reside in this country. About 3,500 of them are Muslims - the majority from Darfur. A significant percentage of the Darfur refugees have been given temporary political asylum. If Israel does not grant the 2,500 Southern Sudanese Christians similar protection, or special dispensation, and they are forced to return to Sudan anytime in the near future, they will face execution or long imprisonment. According to Sudanese law, the fact that they have set foot in Israel - loathed by Khartoum as the ultimate enemy - makes their "offense" extremely grave.

Yet after almost three years in this country, they remain in limbo - without asylum, without knowing if and when they may be sent out of the country, without knowing what the future holds. For now they possess three-month "conditional visas," which keeps them in a state of uncertainty; to give a minimal measure of stability to their lives, it is essential to extend these visas for six to 12 months.

THESE CHRISTIANS fled to Israel through Egypt in order to escape forced Islamization and possible enslavement. Crimes against humanity have a long history in Sudan; a little-known fact is that the number of Christian Sudanese victims of these enormities far exceeds that of the victims in Darfur. Between 1955 and 1972, the Muslim regime in Khartoum slaughtered nearly 1.5 million Southern Sudanese Christians. Between 1983 and 2005, 2 million more met the same fate. Another 100,000 (a conservative estimate) were enslaved in the north, and seven million were made refugees.

The government of Khartoum has long singled out Southern Sudanese Christians and accused them of being traitors, even agents of Israel. The regime regards this as the worst possible crime. However, this accusation is a source of stubborn pride to the Southern Sudanese who love Israel, who identify with Israel - and there are many who dream of visiting the Holy Land as pilgrims and tourists.

But again, protecting the Christian Southern Sudanese refugees is also in the enlightened self-interest of the State of Israel. In 2011 the Southern Sudanese will vote whether or not to remain as "one Sudan" united with the north or to secede and become a separate country. If the Christian Southern Sudanese vote for secession - a virtual certainty - they will have their own nation as a free people for the first time in history.

I know these people well. I know their leaders. I feel confident that a free Southern Sudan will be a strong ally of the State of Israel.

This alliance would reflect a regional catharsis. The 2,500 Christians from Southern Sudan now residing in Israel could be the link between Israel and this new Christian nation - a pillar of a new, friendly, mutually beneficial relationship, a beacon for the future.

Thus, I urge the people of Israel and their leaders to help resolve the Southern Sudanese refugees' situation, end their legal limbo and give them the tools they need to be productive - either in their adopted home or in their new state that will be born very soon.

The writer, who escaped child slavery in Southern Sudan and now lives in New York, speaks on behalf of Southern Sudanese victims at synagogues, yeshivot and evangelical churches across the US. In 2006 he was honored for his anti-slavery activism at the Anti-Defamation League's annual Concert Against Hate in Washington's Kennedy Center.

 This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com /servlet/Satellite?cid=1260181012804&pagename=JPArticle%2FShowFull

 

 

Check out the article in the Canadian Jewish News from Oct 29th that features our first year representative Jackie Brown!

Jackie attended the Leadership Retreat for Canadian Jewish student campus groups with IOC President Rebecca Cherniak and JSA President Anna Kos.

We're very proud of Jackie!

Student leaders gather for leadership retreat

By SHERI SHEFA, Staff Reporter

Thursday, 29 October 2009

Jackie Brown, far right, poses with friends, from left, Roxie Lewin, Sydney Couldwell, Talia Salzman and Alyza Weinberg at the CFJS retreat in Guelph earlier this month.

Earlier this month, about 70 Jewish student leaders from coast to coast gathered in Guelph, Ont., for the Canadian Federation of Jewish Students’ annual leadership retreat.

CFJS, which was founded in 2004 to empower Canadian Jewish students, invited presidents of Hillels and other Jewish campus groups as well as “up-and-coming” Jewish leaders to take part in sessions and seminars focused on pluralism, inclusiveness, Israel advocacy and effective media communication.

Jackie Brown, 19, a first-year McMaster University student in the arts and science program, was one of the up-and-coming Jewish leaders who attended the conference from Oct. 16 to 18.

Brown, a first-year representative for Israel on Campus at McMaster, a student group that advocates for Israel by focusing on its achievements and its commitment to peace, said she was motivated to become involved in the Jewish student community after taking part in a nine-month volunteer program in Israel last year.

While there, Brown volunteered for three months with Magen David Adom, Israel’s ambulance service. She spent another three months teaching English at an elementary school, and spent the last third of her program taking courses and travelling throughout the country.

“After the amazing experiences I had, I knew I wanted to get involved when I came to McMaster,” she said.

Brown, who was encouraged by the president of Israel on Campus at her school to take part in the CFJS retreat, said that the “great atmosphere” throughout the weekend reinforced her to desire to be part of the Jewish campus community.

“Something I had always thought about that was reiterated at the conference was how important it is to reach out to everyone on campus – Jews and non-Jews – and to hold events for everyone. It really promotes a tolerant and inclusive atmosphere,” said Brown, who is originally from Toronto.

She added that there was also an emphasis on the importance of portraying the non-military aspects of Israel.

“Most people only hear about that, but having spent so much time in Israel, I can really attest to the amazing culture and people and all the exciting things about Israel.”

The sessions, some led by leaders from organizations such as the Canadian Council for Israel and Jewish Advocacy (CIJA), focused on ways to respond to anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiments on campus, how to cater to as many students as possible when planning events and how to be more inclusive.

“We talked about different programming ideas and the use of social media such as Facebook and Twitter in Israel advocacy,” Brown said.

Eyal Kraut, a 20-year-old, third-year science student at the University of Manitoba, would be considered one of the veteran leaders at the Guelph retreat.

Kraut, who was born and raised in Winnipeg and serves as Winnipeg’s Jewish Students’ Association (JSA) president, said the retreat gave students from across the country an opportunity to network and learn from each other.

“There was also a forum to allow us to see where the [National Committee for Jewish Campus Life, CIJA’s campus organization] is headed with its initiatives and everyone was there to discuss what we can do through our organizations,” Kraut said.

He said he was particularly impressed with an initiative that’s in the works to develop a website that will help Jewish student leaders share their experiences with Israel advocacy programs that worked on their campuses.

Kraut said that as a JSA leader, he enjoys attending Jewish student conferences because it’s a great way to connect and network with his peers.

“I really felt like we were part of one big Jewish community. Canada is a huge country, but at this conference, I really felt like the Jewish community in Canada is tight knit. We all know each other, people from different cities, and we all have mutual friends.”

He said that although he has ambitions to pursue a career in medicine, he hopes that there will always be a place for him in Jewish community leadership circles as a volunteer.

“I went to a Jewish high school in Winnipeg and I was pretty involved there, and I’m involved at the university level, so I can definitely see myself being involved in the community as an adult.”

Brown, on the other hand, said the idea that she could pursue a career in Jewish leadership wasn’t something she thought about before, but the retreat influenced her to think seriously about it.

“I really love doing this and I really love being involved in the Jewish community, so it is a possibility.”

Source: http://www.cjnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17907&Itemid=101