Unfortunately, I didn’t make it to the Darfur rally on Sunday and I’m a little embarassed to admit that I only started following the situation there recently. The more I read about it, the sicker I feel. We really have no excuse not to raise our voices in protest.
This past week was a particularly appropriate time to show support for the victims of genocide as April 25th was Holocaust Memorial Day. I’m proud that Jewish groups were well-represented. Our national history demands that we not turn our backs while others are slaughtered. In his 1986 acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize, Elie Wiesel said:
Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must - at that moment - become the center of the universe.
We need to pay attention to Darfur right now. We need to do what we wish others had done for the Jews of Europe.