Maoz Tzur Initiative:
Chanukah 2006 + 5766

At Chanukah, we will remember our freedom from oppressors determined to impose their beliefs on us and indeed destroy and displace us. Commemorating the Maccabees' victorious rebellion, each year we sing ‘Maoz Tzur Yeshuati' — ‘The Mighty Stronghold of My Salvation'.

There are people in this world in dire need of a mighty stronghold of salvation.

Commemorate Chanukah this year by expressing your solidarity with the 400,000 men, women, and children who have been killed and the nearly two million survivors who have been brutalized, raped, and displaced in Darfur, Sudan.

Chanukah means rededication. Let us rededicate ourselves to our commitment to tikkun olam — repairing the world — and to the particular moral responsibility we as Jews have to speak out and take action against genocide. When a whole people is being wiped out simply because of who they are, we must act as that people's mighty stronghold.

Simple Actions You Can Take This Chanukah To Raise Awareness

• ‘Gelt for Good' — In lieu of presents this Chanukah, make a donation to the Jewish Coalition for Sudan Relief.

• Show a film to raise awareness about the genocide. Films such as Hotel Rwanda, 100 Days, or Sometimes in April can serve as a vehicle to raise awareness of the conflict in Sudan and can be the catalyst for a discussion about the genocide in Darfur and what your organization can do.

• Host a ‘latkes and letter-writing' Chanukah party, and write to elected officials to support actions to bring the genocide in Darfur to an end, and to the media to make sure to cover this issue.