Nation's Largest Walk To End Genocide To Take Place In Los Angeles

ENCINO, Calif., May 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Jewish World Watch (JWW) will host the largest anti-genocide event in America on Sunday, May 20, 2012, when thousands of people participate in the 6th Annual WALK TO END GENOCIDE.  The event will raise awareness, support, hope and funds to help the survivors of genocide in Sudan and the victims of mass atrocities in the Democratic Republic of Congo.  The walk is a non-denominational event that is free and open to everyone.

The morning walk begins and ends at Pan Pacific Park, which is located in close proximity to The Grove shopping mall and Farmers Market.  Check-in begins at 9:00 a.m.

Don Cheadle, Oscar-nominated actor, producer and noted activist with the Enough Project will address the crowd at the event.  "I'm walking because the crisis in Darfur is not over," said Cheadle.  Also among the celebrities attending will be actress Lisa Edelstein of House, M.D. and The Good Wife, and actor Josh Radnor of How I Met Your Mother. 

"We've been so fortunate to have a great turnout the first five years of the walk," said Fred Kramer, executive director of Jewish World Watch.  "By moving from the West Valley to the heart of the Los Angeles, we're looking forward to sharing this day of activism and solidarity with even more of the growing anti-genocide movement."

Last year's walk attracted more than 2,200 people from local synagogues, churches, schools, organizations, and community groups who raised more than $145,000 to support programs like JWW's Solar Cooker Project for Darfuri refugees and the Chambucha Rape and Crisis Center in Congo. This year's walk is expected to bring out more people in Los Angeles and organizers hope to raise even more money to help the survivors of genocide.

In Los Angeles, the Walk to End Genocide is the largest public demonstration in the U.S. to bring attention and support for the people of Sudan where an estimated 400,000 deaths have occurred and nearly 2 million people have been displaced since 2003 in Darfur, and hundreds of thousands of lives hang in the balance as the Khartoum regime wages a campaign of bombings and man-made famine in South Kordofan and Blue Nile States. In the Congo, over 5.4 million people have been murdered during past 10 years of conflict and countless women and girls have been brutally raped - estimated at 1100 women and girls each day. Americans have an important role in helping victims of human rights violations by calling on the U.S. government to focus efforts on assisting war-torn countries.

Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis of Valley Beth Shalom, co-founder of Jewish World Watch, urged community residents to participate for the victims of genocide around the world.  "Walk in the present," said Rabbi Schulweis, "to redeem the future of their oppressed past."

The walk includes an Action Festival with prominent community leaders addressing audiences about human rights issues around the world. Jewish World Watch will showcase its popular Solar Cooking Project with cooking demonstrations, and there will also be a silent auction and food trucks for hungry walkers.

"With the tragic events that continue to unfold in Sudan, Darfur and Congo, public support from all ages, faiths and backgrounds is more important than ever," says Janice Kamenir-Reznik, co-founder and president of Jewish World Watch.  "Los Angeles must raise its collective voice against genocide and mass atrocities.  Our Walk to End Genocide is a perfect opportunity to shine a light on people who are suffering in fundamental ways, yet who sadly remain invisible and voiceless to most of the world"

Registration for the walk and more information is available at: WalktoEndGenocide.org.

ABOUT JEWISH WORLD WATCH: Jewish World Watch, a Los Angeles-based human rights organization, is a coalition of 70 synagogues working together to combat genocide and mass atrocities worldwide. Since its founding seven years ago, JWW has achieved significant success within its three mission goals: education, advocacy and humanitarian relief, having allocated over $6 million in direct assistance to the people of Sudan and Congo.  For more information, see www.jewishworldwatch.org or contact Jonathan Golub at [email protected].

SOURCE Jewish World Watch