Recorded Conversations with two Sacramento leaders

Rabbi Mona Alfi of Congregation B'nai Israel and Dr. Darrick Lawson, president emeritus of the Stonewall Democrats of Greater Sacramento, discuss their work for social justice

Interviews and introduction by Rabbi Haim Dov Beliak, JewsOnFirst.org, July 17, 2007

Rabbi Mona Alfi of Congregation B'nai Israel, and Dr. Derrick Lawson, president emeritus of the Stonewall Democrats of Sacramento, took a leadership role in Sacramento's Pride parade. Then both came forward to bring the community together in the wake of the murder of Satender Singh in an apparent anti-gay hate crime. They are ideally situated to help us understand the events of the last several weeks.

n the recorded conversation, Rabbi Alfi emphasizes her community's efforts to develop a social action program to bring "Torah" into the community. She speaks about her own and her congregation's long-time commitment to social justice.

Dr. Darrick Lawson is a long time leader in the Sacramento LGBT community. His own story of finding a faith that made room for his relationship to God -- and that God loves him for who he is -- is very moving. Dr. Lawson also speaks emphatically about the fundamentalist Slavic Christian community's responsibility for creating a climate in which hate speech has progressed to violence.