Donald Cohen-Cutler is a Legislative Assistant for the Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism. He hails from the University of California, Davis.

On May 5, 2006 I was invited to speak to 3GNY and Makor about the situation after the Darfur rally.  I agreed without knowing what this presentation would do for me.

3GNY is a New York based group for grandchildren of Holocaust survivors.  They asked for a speaker to discuss the aftermath of the April 30 th Darfur rally in Washington DC; legislative objectives for the crisis; and updates regarding the situation on the ground in Sudan and Chad. More, they specifically requested this report from a fellow “3G-er.”

I had not thought of my work on Darfur to be directly connected with my grandparents’ survival of the Holocaust.  It may have something to do with the fact that I try to separate my personal feelings of connection to the Holocaust from my work in general.  It could also be because I believe the Holocaust has been over taught in the Jewish world.  Additionally, while thoughtful exposure to the most traumatic event in modern Jewish history is necessary sadly - most of the time - the Holocaust is not treated with requisite educational respect. For these reasons, I have kept this aspect of my family history away from my work.

However, I do identify as a grandchild of Holocaust survivors, and understand that I represent the last generation to know people who lived through the camps and fought against the Nazis.  It is upon my generation’s shoulders to ensure the longevity of their story.

Speaking with 3GNY forced me to think about these personal connections and how they relate to the Reform Movement’s (and my) work on Darfur. 

At the event we spoke about the politics and the humanitarian disaster and the killing.  We spoke about the advocacy and the fund raising that can be done to help.  But we also talked about how and why we are connected to genocide.  Should a group whose grandparents’ lived through a defining moment in global history be more connected to a similar even in the present?  I would argue no.

The Jewish community has called upon the rest of the world to state “Never Again” to genocide.  However our generation is far enough removed from the horrors of the Holocaust that “Never Again” is not a demand we place upon the rest of the world but an obligation we place upon ourselves; perhaps as a way to honor the memories of our grandparents and their families.  Perhaps by speaking out about this genocide, there will not be a “3G” Darfurian living far away from where his grandparents lived writing about the issues that still plague his community.

This event with 3GNY forced me to understand that while the Holocaust does not define me as a Jew and as an Advocate, the Holocaust is still a factor in my drive for social justice.  They say six million Jews were killed in the Holocaust.  Luckily it was not six million and two; for if just two more people were lost, I would not be here. 

The 3G community in New York does not have a deeper connection to genocide than any other human being, but we know the faces of those whose lives were saved from extermination.  These faces are not emaciated skeletal figures, but loving tender eyes of our Omas and Opas, of our Sabas and Saftas, of our Grandmas and Grandpas.

So we fight for our grandparents and for the grandchildren of all Darfurians.