One of the most famous poems expressing the devastation of the Holocaust comes from Pastor Martin Niemoller:
THEY CAME FIRST for the Communists,
and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist.
THEN THEY CAME for the Jews, 
and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew.
THEN THEY CAME for the trade unionists,
 and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist.
THEN THEY CAME for the Catholics, 
and I didn’t speak up because I was a Protestant.
THEN THEY CAME for me, 
and by that time no one was left to speak up.
Though you all probably have heard this used in connection with other examples of passivity in history, I think it is necessary to relate this to the situation in Darfur.
Since Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, was just April 11, I think it is important to not only remember the event but also to apply what the world learned from it to other situations. Sending aid to assist in the awful crises in countries like Sudan is just a small reminder of our moral obligation to be Good Samaritans. Please take the time to check out Save Darfur to educate yourself and hopefully, find ways to personally take action to end the genocide. Though many people think financial aid is the only solution, simply informing others about the issue is helpful too.
I hope I am not sounding like a broken record, but please, while remembering the millions of lives lost during the Holocaust, please also remember the efforts that are needed in our international community to prevent a similar event from happening.
“Do not stand idly by while your neighbor bleeds.†– Leviticus 19:16
