Vigil Held in Madison, March 6 2008

      With a solitary quena ( Andean flute) in the background, the sound  of which was like crying in the winter night, with photographs of victims of the Colombian conflict and in front of the Gates of Heaven Synagogue on the banks of the beautiful ice-covered Lake  Mendota, with snow nearly 3 feet thick and with candles lit, more than 30 activists in Madison, Wisconsin challenged the inclement temperature to express their solidarity with Colombian victims at the call of MOVICE ( The Movement of Victims of Crimes of State and many social and human rihts organizations in Colombia ) and Colombia Support Network ( CSN).

       After this contemplation, the persons attending the ceremony entered the synagogue in a solemn march and John Laun, the master of ceremonies and president of CSN, called for solidarity with the victims of paramilitary and state- sponsored violence, as well as remembrances of the victims of FARC violence, such as 12 members of the Peace Community of San Jose de Apartado and Ingrid Washinawatok the wonderfully talented Menomonee Nation woman from Wisconsin. The program in Madison focused upon the sister community of San Jose de Apartado. Reverend David Wanish read a passage from the Bible, on Cain and Abel, one brother killing another, and gave a heartfelt remembrance of his visit to the Alto Naya community with a CSN delegation. Stephany DiBello read a description of the February 21,2001 massacre in which Luis Eduardo Guerra a leader of the San Jose Peace Community and others were murdered.

            Then the names of the victims of conflict in different places including the Palace of Justice, were read and each person who had a picture of the person murdered answered "Presente". Next Matt  Weill, a CSN member, read the Kadish, the Jewish prayer for the dead which is thousands of years old. Matt read the prayers both in Hebrew and English, with the people in attendance standing as they heard the prayer, as is the ritual. Then music by the quena was presented by the accomplished Peruvian musician Alberto Otarola and its air of pain and sadness filled the synagogue, with airs also of happiness calling to life.

      Next there was a reading of the names of persons assasinated from the long- suffering Peace Community. All of the reading of names during the event were accompanied by the rythmic sound of a drum which imitated the beating of a heart. The drum player was the well known local musician Rockamee. Finally, Reverend Tim Kehl read a heartfelt prayer prepared especially for the occasion and this brought the event to a close. A video was made of the event.