Editor's Letter

jarc

Arrest The Slaughter

T

he silence is not only deafening, but also deadly. The
"In order to do that:' she said, "it's necessary to reach the
villagers of Darfur are thankful if they live to see
victims, to hear their stories and to do what they ask, that is to
another day in the midst of a civil war between the
return and bear witness — to tell their stories to the world so
Sudan government and rebel forces.
that this madness will stop."
It's an under-reported story of wanton killing of fellow coun-
try-dwellers.
Haunting Message
Torture reigns in the war-torn
In listening to Messinger, you sense the survivors' anguish.
African nation of Sudan. The harsh
They described to her how Sudanese airplanes, masquerad-
reality is that at least 400,000 people
ing as U.N. deployments, attack Darfuri villages as a prelude
have been killed in Darfur during the
to the government-backed Janjaweed riding in and taking
past 41/2 years. At least 2,000 villages
control. This posse of 30,000 guerilla fighters consists of
have been destroyed. The fighting has
camel-grazers-turned-terrorists who rape women, break up
forced 2.5 million civilians to flee their
families and slaughter at will. They also burn the mud-and-
homes; they now live in displaced-per- straw homes.
sons camps in Sudan or refugee camps
"We were told how the Janjaweed destroy farm animals and
in neighboring Chad.
put the carcasses in the wells in order to poi-
About 4 million peo-
son the water supply' Messinger said.
ple who used to survive
During her summer visit to Chad, Messinger
on subsistence farming
sat with a group of young adults who frankly
now are dependent on the under-funded world
described their plight.
food program.
"They said the genocide has robbed them of
"We as Jews are the people who know better
their homes, their education and their future,"
than anyone else the dangers of silence from
she related.
the rest of the world:' says Ruth Messinger, the
The 20-somethings pleaded their case for
scrappy president of American Jewish World
world intervention.
Service (AJWS). 'After the Holocaust, we gave
to the world a powerful slogan: Never Again:'
Rallying Support
Despite a surge in anti-Semitism in Europe
The West shows meager interest in the geno-
and the Middle East, the slogan has translated
cide in Darfur because of the manipulative
into protection at least from genocide for Jews
savvy of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir,
the world over.
Messinger maintains. It's clear that the 6,700
Ruth Messing er in Darfur
It hasn't, however, meant a thing to minori-
African Union troops, who lack numbers,
ties in terror-wracked places. Think Cambodia,
weapons and training, aren't the answer.
Bosnia, Rwanda, Kosovo, south Sudan and now Darfur in west-
In August, the U.N. parlayed the backing of France and
ern Sudan. Race and religion aren't so much the targets; people Great Britain into passage of Resolution 1769, which called for
who don't succumb to dictatorial rule are.
26,000 peacekeepers in Sudan. But the resolution lacked bite;
"There will always be people who get to positions of power,
China, al-Bashir's crony, blocked any Sudanese sanctions.
but who then turn against others and are determined to
Furthermore, Messinger said,"Al-Bashir already has begun
destroy them;' said Messinger, speaker-in-residence at Oakland making a mockery of the resolution — challenging the U.N.
County synagogues and schools on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1."That's
and making it clear that he's not going to allow the force to be
what's happening today in Darfur, a region the size of Texas."
assembled and deployed in a timely fashion."
She added, "And so I have to tell you that we need lots more
The Underpinnings
pressure on our own government and lots more effort to
Messinger has headed New York-based AJWS, an international impose economic sanctions on China and Sudan."
development organization, since 1998. AJWS partners with 350
Call 1-800-GENOCIDE and punch in your ZIP code to find
grassroots agencies in 36 countries. It provides technical assis-
out whom to pressure. Right now, Michigan's two U.S. senators
tance and financial aid to help the masses better their lot.
would be good to start with; urge them to help in demanding
Messinger, more than anyone, has exposed the American
accountability in Sudan.
Jewish community to the ravages of Africa. Through that
Fifteen years from now, when the kids of today ask their
prism, she, as much as anyone, underscores the nobility of the
parents and grandparents what they did to counter the moral
Jewish practice of tikkun olam — repair of the world. Social
outrage of the first genocide of the 21st century, the Jewish
justice is her pursuit.
community better not falter.
Detroiters can kvell over the work of Edwina Davis of
As Ruth Messinger so incisively put it: "I hope we all have
Southfield. The former Michigan Jewish AIDS Coalition direc-
answers we can be proud of."
tor serves from the soul. As a volunteer with AJWS, Davis has
shared her expertise in HIV-AIDS education and advocacy
with the people of Guana and Uganda.
0 : Has America done enough to help stop
":
Messinger has been to Darfur three times, bringing AJWS-
tn "- the slaughter in Darfur?
sponsored humanitarian aid and relief — and to assure the
I- p
Z z What can be done globally to reaffirm the
help is properly dispensed. She goes because AJWS is in the
0 0 plea "Never Again"?
vanguard of campaigning against the genocide and spurring
0 -
action in the civilized world.

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December 20 2007

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