Rabbi Gerald L. Zelizer May 17, 2005
Genocidal Crisis in Darfur -- Please Help
I am sure I am not the only one here who has seen, either in cinema or on video, the acclaimed film Hotel Rwanda portraying a small heroic part of the genocide in Rwanda in 1994, The film portrays only the mildest atrocities because its story is about the heroic actions of one hotel manager to save about 1800 people through protection, bribery, flattery, and other means. On the DVD version, though, the special presentations show the actual hotel manager returning for the first time to Rwanda and visiting the real sites where 800,000 perished, massacred skeletons of adults and thousands of children and all the rest of the gruesome events.
As I watched the video version, I realized that if the genocide in Rwanda is history, a current genocide is taking place with no video footage -- either real or fictional. Of course, I refer to Darfur in African West Sudan, an area larger than the size of Texas. A quick summary of what happens there. For a number of years Darfur in West Africa was the scene of sporadic clashes between farming communities, on the one hand, and nomadic groups, on the other, which led to many deaths and the destruction and looting of homes. The Sudanese government blamed competition over scarce resources for the clashes.
In February 2003 a new armed opposition group, the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) took up arms against the government, because of what they perceived as the lack of government protection for their people and the marginalisation and underdevelopment of the region. The support base of this armed group came mainly from the agricultural groups in the region. Shortly afterwards a second rebel group, emerged. The government of Sudan responded by allowing free rein to Arab militias known as the Janjawid (guns on horseback) who began attacking villages, killing, raping and abducting people, destroying homes and other property, including water sources and looting livestock. Government aircraft have bombed villages. The links between the Sudanese armed forces and the freelance militias are incontrovertible. They are now even wearing uniforms provided by the army. What has been the result? Hundreds of thousands of people have been forcibly displaced from their homes. The UN estimates that there are now almost one million internally displaced people in Darfur who have fled from their burnt villages and taken refuge, in camps, often in very poor conditions. It is estimated that as many as 300,000 people have been killed over the past year and a half. Villages have been bombed and razed, women and girls raped and branded, men and boys tortured and viciously murdered. The United States
Congress recently described the situation in Darfur as "genocide" and is working to bring international attention to this crisis. Tragically, the pressure and sanctions on the Sudanese government by the Bush Administrator has been slow. It estimated that those living in Darfur continue to die at a rate of at least 10,000 per month. By my calculations that would make it over 300 deaths by murder on this Shabbat.
For the first time in its history, the Committee on Conscience of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum has declared a "genocide emergency" in the Sudan. Please understand that I am not of the opinion that we Jews have to be at the vanguard of solving every international crisis. But the magnitude of this genocide by the Sudanese government is so extensive, that the Coalition of Religious Leaders here in the State of New Jersey is asking all religions, Jewish, Christian and Muslim, this weekend, and alert our members to help respond to what is happening in that part of the world. This weeks Sidrah deals in part with the Kohanim, those ancient priests of Israel who carried out the sacred duties of the ancient Temple. One of the least known rules concerning those priests was known as "met mitzvah" -- and had to do with their duties on the most sacred day of our religious calendar "Yom Kippur", if a priest was in transit to the temple on that day, and happened by a "met mitzvah," he was obliged by Jewish law to attend to the proper care of the anonymous corpse and only later carry out the ritual of the Temple. What is occurring in Darfur is one collective "met mitzvah" and our Jewish obligation, in the middle of our Sabbath rituals and celebrations, is to give serious attention.
Why has the Bush Administration been slow to react more aggressively to this genocide? Because it is also committed to uniting the North and South of Sudan after years of Civil War. Because much information on worldwide terrorism is obtainable in the Sudan. Both important and simply put -- "priorities."
We Jews should know about the word "priorities" from our slaughter in World War II -- the priority of executing the war ahead of rescuing our people. I think most would agree that there can be no priorities ahead of the genocide of a people. A "met mitzvah" must be attended to ahead of all else.
The US Senate is now considering what is called the Darfur Accountability Act which has been introduced by two Senators of both parties who ideologically on most issues could not be further apart. One is Senator Sam Brownback, Republican of Kansas, and the other is our own Senator John Corzine, Democratic of New Jersey, who met with some of us a few weeks ago, returned from a visit to Darfur this week, and reported to us in conference call on Thursday. The Act includes specific policies and initiatives aimed at stopping the genocide in Darfur. It basically includes actions items like new in conjunction with the UN sanctions against government of Sudan; extension of current arms embargo; military no fly zone in Darfur; call for Presidential envoy on this matter to Sudan. The bill, in slightly different versions is in both the Senate and House. I understand that the legislation is very specific, action oriented and concrete.
But there are other political considerations of various kinds which slow down and retard our government from dealing strongly with the government of Sudan, in accordance with the Darfur Accountability Act. What I am asking you, as many clergy in the state this weekend, is a simple phone call to contact the majority and minority leaders of both the Senate and House to ask express your wish for the Darfur Accountability Act, and for our government to act upon it. Senator Corzine told us that phone calls to staff are the most effective communication. To make it convenient, I have listed the phone numbers of the main legislative players in your Shabbat Shalom.
In the meantime, if you rent Hotel Rwanda, please be mindful of not only the genocide 10 years ago, but the one now in Darfur.
Senate & House Leaders to be called in support of Darfur Accountability Act.
Sen. Harry Reid Senate Majority Leader 528 Hart Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510 (202) 224-3542 Representative Nancy Pelosi House Majority Leader 2371 Rayburn House Office Building Washington DC 20515 (202) 225-4965