Genocide in Darfurs is 'a Jewish issue'

To Rabbi Eric Polokoff, the genocide in Darfur is one of the most important issues facing the world today. 
He has spoken out from the pulpit on several occasions about the victims in Darfur and he sits on the Sudan Task Force of the Anti-Defamation League and helped draft the resolution against genocide passed by the state legislature last year.
"I think that certainly for the Jewish community, we can't ever close our eyes to genocide, against us or others," Polokoff explained. "We have a moral obligation, based on history and also based on the texts of our tradition that tell us not to remain silent in the face of genocide." 
While protesting the events in Darfur have a religious and humanitarian component, Polokoff added that what goes on there also has worldwide political implications.
"If this is permitted to happen and go un-checked, we will see it happen in other places," he said. "There is not only a moral imperative but also a political imperative for the stability and development worldwide, particularly in Africa. The policy implications of unchecked genocide will work to the detriment of America and the West."
Polokoff, like many rabbis, feels so strongly about the situation in Darfur, that his concern has rubbed off on his whole congregation.
Last fall, his daughter, 12-year-old Ariel Polokoff, organized a concert and presentation benefiting the victims of Darfur, and she made a power-point presentation at another event, attended by officials such as State Senator Gayle Slossberg.
In March, the congregation will dedicate a whole day to the plight of the people of Darfur. On March 19, Alan Stein, president of PRIMER, will speak about bias in the media, including the lack of coverage of Darfur. 
Also on that day, both B'nai Israel's Israel Advocacy Committee and Social Action Committee, both of which are participating in the "Million Voices" campaign, will be selling Save Darfur t-shirts, sweatshirts, and green "Not on my watch" bracelets to benefit the campaign. And Rabbi Polokoff expected a contingent from his congregation to attend the Washington, D.C. rally in April. 
Why is B'nai Israel so attuned to the situation in Darfur?
"The leadership of Eric Polokoff," answered Joel Abramson, also a member of the Sudan Task Force. "He has made it a Jewish issue for us. He says that this is about so many of the things that in our liturgy...He has driven home to our congregation in a low-key but forceful fashion, that this is what it is all about. It is a Jewish issue, but also a Christian issue and a human issue. Anyone with a shred of human decency should be concerned." 
"We say and feel within our bones, 'Never again' and "Never again' has to mean not only for us but for all peoples," Polokoff explained. "So much of our understanding of the world was shaped by the passivity to the genocide during the Shoah. The challenge is for us to not be passive."

--By <A href="mailto:staceydresner@jewishledger.com">Stacey Dresner</A>