Interfaith Call to Justice Religious Organization P R E S S R E L E A S E For Immediate Release. Interfaith Call to Justice: LA 2007 Be the Torch Bearer for Your Community “…I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. …Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. What ever affects one directly, affects all indirectly [Great quote but I think the outsider idea takes us away from the point a bit]--Dr. Martin Luther King, Letter from the Birmingham Jail LOS ANGELES, CA—In his letter, Dr. King addressed the injustices being perpetrated against the African American community, but his words resonate with meaning for all those who suffer in our society today. On November 11-12, various faith and community-based organizations from throughout Los Angeles, will gather together for The Interfaith Call to Justice: LA 2007 to see how best to address injustice in their communities. Participants will receive training in legislative and public policy advocacy. By finding common ground with members of different faiths and backgrounds, these organizations can create a stronger collective voice that can effect systemic change. More than 50 religious and community-based organizations are sponsoring this conference. Keynote speakers include: All three individuals are examples that organized efforts make an enormous difference. They will discuss: Going from social action to social justice advocacy. What is advocacy? How does it differ from justice? The conference will address: advocacy training, development of relationships between people of different faiths and socio-economic circumstances, pairing of participants with existing advocacy campaigns, and advocacy collaboration in Los Angeles. In this vein, economic justice; homelessness and affordable housing; health care for all; the future of young people in socio-economically deprived area, including education and job training; the environment and immigration, will all be discussed. This conference is the brainchild of Rabbi Suzanne Singer. Rabbi Singer is no stranger to the social justice cause. In November 2005, she organized a similar conference within the Jewish community called The Consultation on Social Justice, winner of the Irving J. Fain Award for Social Action. Highly successful, COSJ was primarily sponsored by Sinai Temple of Oakland, where Rabbi Singer served as a spiritual leader and was co-sponsored by numerous other synagogues and Jewish organizations in San Francisco Bay Area. “The conference in the Bay Area demonstrated the appetite people have for social change. I believe that people of faith are ready to take the next step by pairing their charity work with the work of justice. To quote from Rabbi Eric Yoffie, who heads the Union of Reform Judaism, “The prophet Amos said: “Let just roll down like water. Justice, he said, and not charity, for good reason. Because while charity alleviates the effects of poverty, justice seems to eliminate its cause. The Bay Area conference also underlined the need for joining together in interfaith coalition. The LA conference is the first step towards joint efforts in Los Angeles. For more information contact: Rabbi Suzanne Singer at 213-793-1560 or e-mail: sznsinger@earthlink.net |