Send Page to a Friend Boston speaks out on Darfur   By William Rosenfeld The Jewish Advocate   Nearly 600 people from the Boston area joined 20,000 others in New York City’s Central Park at the “Voices to Stop Genocide” rally Sunday, timed to coincide with the beginning of the U.N.’s General Assembly session. The goal was to strengthen the African Union peacekeepers now in Darfur with a strong U.N. force, increase humanitarian aid and encourage President Bush to assign a special envoy to the region. Locally, the rally culminated months of effort by the Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur. The coalition, co-chaired by Kenneth A. Sweder and Dr. Gloria White-Hammond, receives staff support from the Jewish Community Relations Council. The message of the rally speakers was clear. Keynote speaker former Secretary of State Madeline Albright said: “The violence has gone on too long. The world has to act since protection of innocents is a universal responsibility.” Rabbi J. Rolando Matalon, who gave the invocation, tied Darfur to the Rosh Hashanah service by saying that “in Armenia, Cambodia, Bosnia and Rwanda it was written and in Darfur it is being sealed.” People interviewed at the rally said that bringing life to the phrase “Never Again” was their key motivator. Lynne Fisher of Temple Isaiah in Lexington got involved after visiting Yad Vashem in Israel. Larry Rich of Temple B’Nai Brith in Somerville said his goal is to ensure that the U.N. “has the tools to quickly stop genocide wherever it occurs.” In addition to the rally, Darfur has triggered a grassroots movement in the Boston area. If you ride through Needham, you will see bright-green lawn signs proclaiming “Not on Our Watch – SaveDarfur.org.” This reflects Alan Greenfield’s effort to share his concern, he began the campaign during Passover while thinking about how to apply the seder’s message to today. Nancy Kaufman, executive director at JCRC, praised the volunteer effort that went into making this event a success. “The volunteer energy behind this was exemplary, and Massachusetts had one of the largest delegations.”