"Save Darfur" and Make A Couple Of Dollars At The Same Time

By Joachim Martillo, Boston

On April 27, 2007, Ruth Messinger, president and executive director of the American Jewish World Service (AJWS), was welcomed by the Harvard Jewish students’ organization, Hillel, for an inspirational talk….

Messinger fundraises for lobbying-oriented humanitarian aid through the American Jewish World Service in New York, which is collecting money for “Save Darfur.” Last year she raised approximately $31 million of which Darfur was to
receive approximately $3 million. Most of the money donated for relief and development in Sudan was channeled back into Jewish lobbying efforts, Messinger admitted with very little shame, adding that AJWS has no real way to do anything for Sudan. She urged Jewish students to participate in “Save Darfur” as a way to get connected and create a “presence” in world “humanitarianism,” which would engage in a coordinated Jewish effort of organizing, electing and legislating.