For the dead and the living

By Alyssa Appelman
University of Missouri - Columbia
KOC Editor

A few weeks ago, I went to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC. After looking at the exhibits and displays chronicling pre-war life in Europe, the Nazis’ rise to power, and the horrors that faced our people, I walked out feeling dismayed and overwhelmed. As I began to gather my thoughts at the end of a long afternoon, I looked up and saw the last quote that the exhibit offers:

"For the dead and the living, we must bear witness."- Elie Wiesel

Our generation views the Holocaust from an interesting place in history. We’ve heard stories from survivors, walked through museums and watched movies. But here, in 21^st century America, it’s easy to feel distanced from the horrors that our community once faced. It’s easy to think about the Holocaust in its historical, as opposed to cultural, context. We’ve been learning about the Holocaust our whole lives and it’s easy for the stories to become trivialized.

But we can’t let them. And it’s not just so that we can remember the past and honor the dead.

We have to bear witness for the living.

Every time I go to a Holocaust museum, I inevitably hear people discuss the million-dollar question: How could other countries have sat back and let this happen?

GENOCIDE IN DARFUR Click here for a response to the Sudan Crisis Learn more about ways to make a difference

We may find ourselves happy and proud to be Jewish in America, but the one thing we must take from the past is a desire to bear witness for the living who are facing their own injustice around the world.

In this issue, we are offering educational material on the genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan (learn more), which we hope you will bring back to your communities. Our generation does have the opportunity to take a stand against injustice and can do so in this region. Gail Schnitzer’s poem offers her reflections on freedom, as she shares her visit to Eastern Europe. And Rabbi Ed Romm reminds us that Holocaust deniers are still in our midst.

We have also included a brief introduction to the direction we are taking KOACH-ON-CAMPUS next year.

I would also like to thank those of you who sent in responses to last month’s issue on Homosexuality in Judaism, which we have posted as well.

Please feel free to send in your thoughts regarding the issues being presented this month. Only through discussion can we ensure that our generation continues to bear witness: for both the dead and the living.

[Posted 7/24/06]