Come hear Janice Kamenir-Reznik’s first public debriefing after her mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In just a few hours our small group representing Jewish World Watch leaves for the Eastern Congo. Every day for the last week, my sisters each call me and ask me if I feel that going to the Congo is really necessary.  My parents and my in-laws ask me on a daily basis if there is anything they could say to persuade me to cancel the trip. 

By all accounts I shouldn’t be making this trip. My mother keeps tracking me down to tell me that she is “opposed” to it, my father sent me several emails reminding me that “Congo is not Cancun” (thanks for the reminder, Dad), and therefore, perhaps I should reconsider. But most importantly, most pressingly – perhaps I shouldn’t be making this trip because I have a five and a half month old daughter at home.

This will be my sixth trip to the continent of Africa over the past thirty five years. I am very excited to make this visit as part of the Jewish World Watch delegation. After spending the last month reading about the tragic situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, I am expecting the visit to be critical to my understanding of the human impact and personal consequences for the residents of this nation.

I am a public relations consultant and as such I am always the one pitching the story.  I am much more comfortable to stand in the background or sit on the sidelines promoting the good work and adventures of others.  It is strange to think that this time I am part of the story itself.