We Cannot Forget Darfur

As Ruth Messinger, President of the American Jewish World Service said, "The expression 'never again' cannot be reserved only for Jews."
By Or N. Rose

September 9th marks the one year anniversary of the Bush administration's declaration that the violence and destruction in the Darfur region of western Sudan is genocide. Sadly, since that time, the US government has done very little to stop this massacre. The Janjaweed militias, backed by the Sudanese government, continue to conduct a merciless campaign of slaughter, rape, starvation, and displacement. Since February 2003, an estimated 400,000 people have been killed, more than 1.9 million have been exiled from their homes, and an additional 200,000 people have fled across the border to Chad. Many are now living in refugee camps lacking adequate food, shelter, sanitation, and health care.

The United States is, of course, in the midst of its own crisis, recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. It will take billions of dollars and many years to rebuild New Orleans and other ravaged areas along the Gulf coast. The pain and suffering of our fellow citizens demands a compassionate and comprehensive response. Yet, we must also remain attentive to other humanitarian crises around the world. We must overcome the tendency to become so absorbed in the calamity of the moment that we ignore other ongoing social justice issues. Darfur cannot be forgotten in the wake of Katrina.

As Jews, we have a particular obligation to take action against genocide. As Ruth Messinger, President of the American Jewish World Service said, "The expression 'never again' cannot be reserved only for Jews." The American Jewish community must use its considerable political clout to press the US government to intervene in Darfur.

One year ago the House of Representatives called upon the government to take the following steps:

·Assume responsibility to act and stop genocide as mandated by the 1948 UN Genocide Convention
·Consider leading a multilateral or even unilateral intervention to stop violence in Darfur
·Impose sanctions, visa bans, and asset freezes on the Sudanese Congress and individual leaders of genocide in Darfur
·Establish a Darfur Resettlement, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Fund so that those driven off their land may return and begin to rebuild their communities.

It is our responsibility to insist that the White House act on these recommendations, otherwise untold numbers of innocent Sudanese people will be dead by the end of the year. As the great theologian and activist, Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote, "In a free society some are guilty all are responsible."

Or N. Rose is Director of Informal Education at The Rabbinical School of Hebrew College. He is a Contributing Editor to TIKKUN.