Darfur - No Standing Idly By

Rabbi Melanie Aron

Friday, March 18, 2005

A Rabbi once announced to his congregation that nothing in the world is random, that everything in the world has its purpose.

A man came and challenged him: what about spiders?

The Rabbi told him the story of the time that young David was fleeing King Saul. The King’s soldiers were close behind when he snuck into a cave. They were about to follow him when Saul said: Look there is a spider’s web across the face of that cave.

The man challenged him again-what about mold?

The Rabbi, being a modern person, told him about penicillin, the miracle drug, originally developed from mold.

Finally, the man says, well what about doubt in God, what is its purpose?

And the rabbi calmly explained: Even our doubts have their purpose. When someone is in trouble and needs our help, we should at that moment be an atheist, such that we don’t say, God will take care of them and I am off the hook.

This evening Andy Altman and I would like to take a few minutes to talk about the situation in Darfur and why the Jewish community has taken up this issue. We hope you will activate that more doubting side of your personality, and recognize the need for human action, rather than dependence on God or even other people to meet this challenge.

Here at Shir Hadash the Jewish Civic Initiative class, our Temples 11th and 12th graders have taken the situation in the Sudan as the focus of their spring social justice project, and Andy, as their teacher, has been working with them on it.

Some people have taken a cynically view of the Jewish community’s adopting this particular cause. They have accused the Jewish community of using this issue to speak negatively about a Muslim country. It’s true that some Israel activists are distressed at the Arab attempts to paint themselves as friends of the third world, while accusing Israel of being an enemy to all oppressed people. In fact, Israel has had a significant helpful presence in poorer countries, especially providing agricultural and medical assistance, while the history of relationship of Islam to Black Africa in particular is very complex and not entirely positive. However, I don’t think that is the primary reason for Jewish involvement.

I believe that the Jewish community has taken up Darfur because of our historical experience with genocide and the sensitivity that has engendered to all similar acts. In addition, our tradition’s strong statements about our responsibility to the defenseless and those who are least able to speak up for themselves, call out to us in this situation. The statement in the Babylonian Talmud,

“Whoever is able to protest against the transgressions of the entire world and does not do so, is punished for the transgressions of the entire world, “ is just the most extreme statement of the basic Jewish ethic: “Thou Shalt Not Stand Idly By The Blood of Thy Brother.”

Andy and I chose this topic tonight because of an effort around the country, originally instigated by college students called 100 Hours of Conscience. Beginning yesterday and continuing through Sunday morning, moments of silence, prayer services and other forms of activism will take place, educating people about Darfur and giving them the means to take action.

One concrete action that is part of this effort, is to generate letters to US Senators and Congresspersons. In your handout tonight, there is a sample letter. Please take the time to write a letter or if you prefer go to the website www.savedarfur.org and you can email your representatives directly.

There is also material prepared related to Yom HaShoah holocaust memorial day and to Passover. We hope you will take a few minutes at your seder to speak about this issue.

This is Shabbat Zachor when we read about the attack of the Amalekites. They are singled out among all of Israel’s enemies because of the nature of their attack:

Remember what Amalek did to you on your journey, after you left Egypt, how undeterred by fear of God, he surprised you on the march, when you were famished and weary, and cut down all the stragglers in your rear.”

After this attack, the Israelites reordered their community, no longer allowing the old and the young to straggle behind unprotected. Instead they placed those most vulnerable at the center of the camp, defending by the men above the age of 20, three tribes on each side.

In our global human community, we can not continue to allow stragglers to be cut down by ruthless enemies. We must act to reorder the world community, so that put an end to these atrocities and create a situation where humanitarian aide can reach those who so sorely need it.