Darfur...

In about an hour, I'm taking the kids to a rally on the National Mall to raise awareness and demand action that the US government do something to stop the genocide in Darfur, Sudan.

What's particularly striking, at least to me, is how much attention the atrocities there have gotten within the Jewish world, across all of the denominations. There seems to be a tremendous desire to live the Holocaust mantra of "Never Again" and do our part to help the lesson be learned.

There are a few things that I haven't seen yet and I am curious if it will change after the rally.

In Darfur, the atrocities are being committed by Arab Muslims against Black Muslims. I haven't heard anything about the Arab-American or Muslim-American communities reacting and demanding a cessation.

I also am struck by the irony that the Jews (who I am confident will be overrepresented at the rally today) are going out to protest the slaughter of Muslims by other Muslims. I wonder if the Muslim community would feel this strongly if Jews (or anyone else for that matter) were perpetrating the slaughter of Jews. I think we know the answer there.

I also haven't heard much from the African-American community and will be looking for signs of awareness/participation there. This is a racial genocide on a massive scale.

Regardless, having spent 1 year living in Germany and studying the Holocaust, I am proud of the fact that my family (extended as well) and I have made this a priority for today.