On Shabbat Zachor, the Sabbath prior to Purim, we read an additional Torah portion from Deuteronomy 25:17-19:

"Remember what Amalek did to you on your journey, after you left Egypt -- how undeterred by fear of God, he surprised you on the march, when you were famished and weary, and cut down all the stragglers in your rear."

Amalek is remembered and condemned throughout history for attacking innocent civilians. When Jews invoke his name, along with Haman of the Purim story, it is a symbol for all who commit atrocities against the vulnerable.

As Jews, we are intimately acquainted with what happens when otherwise good people are silent in the face of political oppression and violence. Shabbat Zachor is a time to remember not only Amalek and Haman, but the number of times throughout our history when we, as Jews, have been targeted for persecution. But we cannot remember what has happened in our own history without thinking about other peoples around the world who have been similarly oppressed; other innocent civilians who are senselessly attacked.

This year, as we remember these dark moments in Jewish history, we are compelled to consider the tragedy that is gripping Sudan today. In Darfur, Sudan, over two million people are at risk of death. The death toll has reached between 200,000 and 400,000. Over 2 million people have been displaced, and the Sudanese government has made it increasingly difficult for aid to reach those in need.

The genocide in Darfur has historical roots in the 22-year-long north-south conflict between the Government in Khartoum and the Southern Peoples' Liberation Movement. It is a crisis that stems from both social and environmental injustice. In February 2003, two Darfurian rebel groups -- the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) -- demanded an end to economic marginalization and sought power-sharing within the Arab-ruled Sudanese state. Historic tensions between the mostly nomadic Arabs and Masaalit and Zaghawa farmers aggravated tensions -- a conflict accentuated by droughts brought on by global warming which decreased the landmass available for farming and grazing.

Rebels began attacking government targets, claiming that the region was being neglected by Khartoum, a government that profits heavily from oil revenues. The government responded to this threat by targeting the civilian populations from which the rebels were drawn. Taking advantage of local tensions, the government partnered with the Janjaweed militia and has been attacking the civilian populations of the Fur, Masaalit, and Zaghawa communities in Darfur. Villages and towns have been bombed and scorched, water sources and food stores have been destroyed, and civilians have been systematically targeted for mass killings, rape, and ethnic cleansing.

Like Amelek, the Sudanese government and the Janjaweed are attacking the most vulnerable -- women, children and other innocent civilians. It has been nearly six months since then Secretary of State Colin Powell declared the situation in Darfur to be genocide, yet the world continues to stand idly by as thousands die. We must not remain silent. Just as Esther interceded to save her people, so too, we have an obligation to act on behalf of those oppressed today. We must stand up and call for an end to the horrendous atrocities taking place in Sudan.

• As womens' rights advocates we are appalled by the use of rape as a tool for genocide;
• As environmentalists we are alarmed that global warming has harmed food sources and land use;
• As citizens who believe in economic justice we are angered by a government's neglect of its people; and
• As Jews, especially on this Shabbat Zachor, we are outraged that genocide continues today.

For all of these reasons, the Reform Movement has joined with the Save Darfur Coalition in calling for 100 Hours of Conscience - Voices to End the Violence in Darfur. Beginning with a minute of silence on college campuses across America, and continuing over four days (March 17, 18, 19, and 20), the Coalition is encouraging and supporting events to educate people about Darfur and give them the tools to take action.

The Save Darfur Coalition hopes to generate 100 letters to each Senator and Congressperson during this 4-day period. To help with this effort; we hope that you will take the time to draft your own letter or follow the link below to the RAC action alert on Darfur. For readers who are not in the U.S, please write to your representatives at the UN and call on your government to take action to stop the genocide in Darfur. The latest RAC action alert on Sudan is available on-line.

Prayers and readings to be included in a Shabbat or interfaith service can be found on the RAC website: http://rac.org/advocacy/issues/issuesudan/sudangen/ in addition to information on how to purchase "Not on My Watch -- Save Darfur" wristbands, and donate to the URJ Sudan Relief Fund.

On this Shabbat Zachor, we not only remember past tragedy; but act to stop genocide today.

Tali Weinberg is a Legislative Assistant at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. She works on issues of Foreign Policy, International Human Rights, Globalization, and the Environment.

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