Barbara Weinstein is the Legislative Director for the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism.

Yesterday afternoon, I was part of a small group of Jewish leaders who met with Poland’s Foreign Minister, Anna Fotyga. Equivalent to our Secretary of State, Minister Fotyga took office in early May and is in the midst of her first official visit to the U.S.

The gathering – sandwiched between meetings with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) – demonstrated the importance with which the Polish government views the American Jewish community. The Foreign Minister spoke particularly about her government’s efforts to address incidents of anti-Semitism. The conversation also addressed restitution of property and xenophobia.

Our discussion of the consequences of war, displacement, and racism more than 60 years after the end of the Holocaust was a reminder that the healing process takes generations. That is partly why the Jewish community has been so outspoken in its efforts to end the current crisis gripping the Darfur region of Sudan.

So as I shook hands with Minister Fotyga at the end of our meeting, I reminded her of the Jewish community’s commitment to ending the violence in Darfur. I asked her to use Poland’s influence, particularly as a member of NATO, to see to it that the people of Darfur are not forgotten. By helping end the violence in Darfur, we can take the lessons of the past and help heal the future.