Mr. Stephen Fleisher, CEO of Fleisher Tubes, Inc., based on Long Island, provided tubes for the Spirit of Malabo rowboat to help reduce the risk of Victor Mooney falling overboard during his Atlantic crossing. During the sea trials, Mooney paused at his estate, where the two shared a laugh while watching "The Old Man and the Sea."
With a leftover 12-inch piece, Mooney sought to give it a more meaningful purpose than simply using it to fend off fish. The tube, inscribed in both English and Hebrew, bore the words: "Never Forget | Shalom"
‘Peace Tube’ to cross ocean in rowboat' - A devout Catholic African American hopes to row 3,400 trans-Atlantic miles to raise AIDS — and Holocaust — awareness
International Holocaust Remembrance Day
New York (January 27, 2020) - At United Nations Headquarters, Don Victor Mooney who holds dual nationality with Equatorial Guinea, joined Isabel Avomo Sima, representing Ambassador Anatolio Ndong Mba, its Permanent Ambassador, with Rev. Dr. William Shillady and Rabbi Joe Potasnik.
They stood solidarity to commemorate seventy-fifth anniversary for liberation of Auschwitz Birkenau, under the theme: "75 years after Auschwitz: Holocaust Education and Remembrance for Global Justice".
Secretary-General Spotlights Re-emerging Crisis of Antisemitism - January 27, 2020
"We need to name this phenomenon for what it is: There is a global crisis of antisemitic hatred, a constant stream of attacks targeting Jews, their institutions and property. Almost every day brings new reports of hate crimes. Many of the perpetrators are inspired by previous attacks, glorifying the assailants and creating a self-reinforcing vortex of violence" - UN Secretary-General António Guterres
Concert for Social Justice
Norfolk, Virginia (January 19, 2020) - Don Victor Mooney with Cantor Jennifer Ruben of Ohef Sholom Temple and guests for their Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. program.
"In response to the alarming rise in antisemitism, we fervently hope that this initiative will strengthen the bond between the African-American and Jewish communities, helping to combat hatred".
Mooney emphasized during his presentation that Jews have historically stood alongside us, from the abolitionist movement through the civil rights movement. Following his 21-month journey rowing from Africa to New York, he preserved pieces of the poles that connected the front and rear cabins as keepsakes. One of these fragments now resides at Ohef Sholom Temple.
"Israel I Care, I Coming"
In a period marked by efforts to deter international tourism to the Holy Land, the New York Israel Consulate launched the initiative "Israel, I Care, I’m Coming" at a synagogue in New York City's, Manhattan Upper Eastside area.
Following a presentation by Mr. Haim Gutin-Golan, an official for the Ministry of Tourism, Mooney pledge to visit Israel immediately after Pope John Paul II's General Audience at the Vatican on December 1, 2004.
During his 72-hour stay, he carried his rowing machine in Jerusalem's Old City, traversing narrow, cobblestone streets. Mooney prayed with Jewish men, flanked on both sides at the Western Wall. After leaving a note, he departed.
