We Can Do Better
5 meaningful ways to mark Genocide Awareness Month
April is Genocide Awareness and Prevention Month, 30 days dedicated to:
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Remembering the victims of past and current genocides.
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Calling attention to the need to fight back against current genocides.
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Highlighting the urgency of preventing potential genocides.
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Lauding individuals who rose/rise to resist tyranny.
This month was chosen because many 20th and 21st Century genocides began in or ramped up in April. These include:
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The Holocaust
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Darfur
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Bosnia
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Rwanda
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Cambodia
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Armenia
Kol Israel Foundation works year-round to teach the lessons of the Holocaust, remember the 6 million Jews who were murdered at the hands of the Nazis, and honor and support the Survivors. Our tireless efforts are aimed at promoting Holocaust education and responding to Shoah-related issues in the hopes of preventing future genocides. We categorically denounce all forms of genocide against any group of people in any part of the world.
Here are 5 ways you can make a difference during Genocide Awareness and Prevention Month:
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Speak up! Do not bite your tongue and stew when you hear people badmouthing other races, religions, ethnicities, or creeds. Firmly, but calmly, explain why that kind of talk is harmful.
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Prove the pen is mightier than the sword. Write elected officials asking them to support legislation promoting diversity and tolerance and imposing stiff penalties on those who commit hate crimes. Urge them to intervene when genocides occur anywhere in the world.
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Go public. Share your outrage surrounding current genocides by posting on social media and submitting letters to respected publications.
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Act on your convictions. Join a protest march. Donate money, clothes, food, or other needed items to humanitarian agencies dedicated to helping people living in regions affected by genocide.
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Partner with KIF. Talk with educators in your school system about the significance of KIF’s Holocaust Education Program (virtual or in-person), which offers firsthand testimony from a Survivor or his or her direct descendant and is a more effective tool than anything students can read in a textbook. Volunteer as a docent or speaker. This rewarding opportunity allows you to share with school and community groups the lessons of the Holocaust and explain the importance of not allowing it to happen again. Email mlax@kifcle.org for more information.
YOUR TURN
We want to hear from you! Visit our Facebook page to tell us how you are working to combat genocide and promote peace.
