2008 Woodie Awards
Save a Life, Save the World
David Weinberg
Issue date: 5/16/05 Section: Opinion
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"Whoever saves a life, it is as if you have saved the entire world."
Growing up in Jewish environs lends itself to at least a number of ocassions, be it a Yom Kippur appeal or an NCSY regional, where the famous Talmudic dictum is quoted. And we have dutilfully responded. Over the past twenty five years, efforts have been made to free Soviet Jewry, to release captured Israeli soldiers, to combat rising anti-Semitism, and to defend Israel's right to protect herself. We, as North American Jews believe that our respective governments should protect our rights, and rally behind the causes which are dearest to our hearts, but where are we when others are in pain?
The Talmud did not say "Whoever saves a JEWISH life..." God created every human in the image of himself. We have the responsibly of tikun olam, fixing the world, as well as being an or lagoim, the light unto the nations. We must never sit comfortably only tending to our own. We must spread out to all corners of the earth, to all places where pain and suffering can be found.
By the time you finish reading this, 400,000 innocent Sudanese men, women and children will have been slaughtered. By the time you are done reading this, another ten thousand victims will have been tortured, raped, and displaced from their homes, only to be further humiliated by waiting aimlessly in refuge camps where they await a future of malnutrition, fear and endless wandering.
Last week marked the sixtieth anniversary of the Allied victory in Europe and the end of the Holocaust. Today, we can make a difference. Public opinion will be the force that will make governments act. You can make the difference that tips the scales of change. All it takes to start is one letter to your congressman or Member of Parliament, one dollar to Not Now, Not Ever or any other genocide fighting organization, one rally, one tear.
Yeshiva University students have taken the lead in engaging other university students, high school students, humanitarian organizations, and inter-faith congregations by creating Not Now, Not Ever. Our mission is to raise awareness of the genocide in Darfur, Sudan among the American public and to mobilize efforts to end the atrocities.
On Sunday, May 8, in Central Park, over 800 concerned people gathered together to listen to Human Rights Activists, Interfaith Leaders, Politicians, and Survivors. Not Now Not Ever's very first rally garnered local and national press coverage, educated thousands of previously uninformed individuals, and was a massive success. Planning took only one month and with just a few students from both the Wilf and Beren campuses contributing their valuable time to the effort. Events are being planned for the summer in New York and Washington, but nothing can be accomplished without your support.
Can you live with yourself knowing you did nothing?
David Weinberg is a senior majoring in Political Science and the director of Not Now Not Ever. For more information please visit www.notnownotever.org.
Growing up in Jewish environs lends itself to at least a number of ocassions, be it a Yom Kippur appeal or an NCSY regional, where the famous Talmudic dictum is quoted. And we have dutilfully responded. Over the past twenty five years, efforts have been made to free Soviet Jewry, to release captured Israeli soldiers, to combat rising anti-Semitism, and to defend Israel's right to protect herself. We, as North American Jews believe that our respective governments should protect our rights, and rally behind the causes which are dearest to our hearts, but where are we when others are in pain?
The Talmud did not say "Whoever saves a JEWISH life..." God created every human in the image of himself. We have the responsibly of tikun olam, fixing the world, as well as being an or lagoim, the light unto the nations. We must never sit comfortably only tending to our own. We must spread out to all corners of the earth, to all places where pain and suffering can be found.
By the time you finish reading this, 400,000 innocent Sudanese men, women and children will have been slaughtered. By the time you are done reading this, another ten thousand victims will have been tortured, raped, and displaced from their homes, only to be further humiliated by waiting aimlessly in refuge camps where they await a future of malnutrition, fear and endless wandering.
Last week marked the sixtieth anniversary of the Allied victory in Europe and the end of the Holocaust. Today, we can make a difference. Public opinion will be the force that will make governments act. You can make the difference that tips the scales of change. All it takes to start is one letter to your congressman or Member of Parliament, one dollar to Not Now, Not Ever or any other genocide fighting organization, one rally, one tear.
Yeshiva University students have taken the lead in engaging other university students, high school students, humanitarian organizations, and inter-faith congregations by creating Not Now, Not Ever. Our mission is to raise awareness of the genocide in Darfur, Sudan among the American public and to mobilize efforts to end the atrocities.
On Sunday, May 8, in Central Park, over 800 concerned people gathered together to listen to Human Rights Activists, Interfaith Leaders, Politicians, and Survivors. Not Now Not Ever's very first rally garnered local and national press coverage, educated thousands of previously uninformed individuals, and was a massive success. Planning took only one month and with just a few students from both the Wilf and Beren campuses contributing their valuable time to the effort. Events are being planned for the summer in New York and Washington, but nothing can be accomplished without your support.
Can you live with yourself knowing you did nothing?
David Weinberg is a senior majoring in Political Science and the director of Not Now Not Ever. For more information please visit www.notnownotever.org.