The World Jewish Congress’ Future Generations department and the World Holocaust Forum have held a joint seminar at the International School for Holocaust Studies of Yad Vashem in Jerusalem whose aim was to encourage people to take action, and spur protest, against the slaughter and genocide taking place in Africa.
Holocaust survivor David Lev talked about the moral obligation of the Jewish people to do everything in their power to increase awareness of the current situation in Africa and to try to stop the slaughter that is a day-to-day occurrence there. "A child is a child and suffering is suffering – it does not matter where these events take place," he said. Jean-Marie Kananora, a survivor of the Rwanda genocide, said, "The Rwandan people have to face the impossible situation of the denial of the genocide of their people." A refugee who fled from the Sudanese region of Darfur told his personal story of escape; how he reached Egypt and from there crossed the border to Israel. He praised the humanitarian aid organizations and representatives of Tel Aviv University, who had visited and kept contact with him during his detention.
All panel members agreed that "there is much work still to be done." When asked what the most important message was for the young generation participating in the seminar, they replied, "Only education and action are the solution to ignorance and racism." They noted that the educational element is the most important challenge of all.
The three-day World Jewish Congress/World Holocaust Forum seminar was attended by Jewish and non-Jewish young adults from all over the world. They conducted discussion groups examining the meaning of the Holocaust and genocide. During the seminar, participants were trained in possible courses of action to prevent future genocides.
For more information, contact:
Peleg Reshef
WJC Director of Future Generations
tel. +972-54-2488603
