Genocide and Jews

Last month, there appeared in the Yeshiva University (YU) Commentator an article by Rabbi Aryeh Klapper titled, “Is there a Mitzvah to Prevent Genocide?” The piece talks about different halachic ramifications of allowing a genocide to happen without stepping in and the possibility of going to war over the killing of a community.

A few years ago, while I was a student at YU, I was also the president of a non-profit organization, Not Now Not Ever (NNNE), aimed at stopping the Genocide in Darfur. We were successful in that our efforts at publicizing the actions in Africa led to a national multi-cultural coalition. This coalition, which I was one of the initial members and creators of, eventually turned into the massive Save Darfur organization which has been instrumental in working towards an end to the violence in Darfur.

During NNNE’s founding and subsequent rally marketing blitz I was frequently stopped by other students angrily asking me why I was supporting such a cause when my skills could be put to better use helping Israel in some way. I was shouted at, I was snubbed; there was even an opinion piece in the Commentator about our lack of Jewish unity.

Why all the hubbub?

At the time, there were no pressing social or emergency situation going on in Israel. Of course, it is always important to help your own; halacha even states that in terms of tzedaka you should give your own community and other Jews before outside communities and non-Jews. But there was no more pressing need then (and some say even now) to helping to save thousands, if not millions, of lives from being ended suddenly by genocide.

Jews, almost more than any other sect, must fight hard to keep the “Never Again!” statement alive and well through voice, memory and especially through action. We were all touched somehow by the Holocaust, G-d forbid anything like that should ever occur again under our watch. Yet, it has already a number of times since; in Cambodia, Yugoslavia, Rwanda and now in still Darfur.

Although there is still so much unresolved on the issue of Darfur, there will unfortunately always be another conflict to which our community and the motivated individual can have great impact upon.