Who knows one?
by Rabbi Michael Strassfeld
a Passover reflection, April 2006
Who knows one? One is the Janjaweed militia cleansing Darfur
Who knows one? Two is the stealing and killing of livestock
Who knows one? Three is the poisoning of wells and the destruction of crops
Who knows one? Four is the use of rape to destroy and humiliate families
Who knows one? Five is the creation of two-and-a-half million people: displaced, hungry, susceptible to disease
Who knows one? Six is the over four hundred thousand people who have already died.
These and more are the plagues of Darfur.
Who knows one?
I know one.
Send a postcard to President Bush. Urge him to take leadership on this issue.
lo dayenu — but it is not enough.
Who knows one?
I know one.
Encourage institutions to hang Save Darfur banners outside their buildings.
lo dayenu — but it is not enough.
Who knows one?
I know one.
Attend the rally in Washington, DC on April 30th.
lo dayenu — but it is not enough.
Who knows one?
I know one — Rwanda
Who knows one?
I know one — Bosnia
Who knows one?
I know one — Cambodia
There are too many ones.
And I am the child who does not know how to count:
One. Two. Four hundred thousand. Six million.
For six million are the lips of our dead mouthing “never again” in eternal silence.
Who knows one? I know one.
For I am that one.
One person created in the image of God.
It is for me alone to speak out. I and no other.
Not a messenger, not a congressperson, not a president.
I alone am here to tell the tale.
Who knows one? I am that one.
And who knows — I may be the one who will make the difference.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
this poem has really hit me. being Jewish by blood, i know what it is like to lose people through genocide, however indirectly it may be. my great grandparents we lucky to escape with their lives. imagine yourself, as a 12 year old boy or a 13 year old girl, being put on a ship crowded with your neighbors and some people you have never met as your village burns to the ground and soldiers shoot those you love as the ship pulls away. imagine yourself in their shoes, watching your loved ones die and knowing you will never see them again and knowing that you are alone. it scares me to think of being in their shoes. so i could only imagine what the victims are going through today. it brings tears to my eyes to know that these people are suffering and we are doing nothing. it frightens me that the only reason we are doing nothing to stop it because our government thinks that we don't have a consensus on the matter. it disturbs me that the only thing that is stopping people from speaking up is that their decisions and opinions have meant nothing for so long that they think individually, they can change nothing, and it worries me that the only thing stopping it from happening here is a piece of paper that continuously changes and is ever more wearing out. open your eyes people. if this was you or your family you would want the same help these people do. there are solutions to these issues. but the majority is too blind to see them.
No comments:
Post a Comment