Social Policy makes me think...

My mom has always been somewhat concerned/creeped out with my fascination with the Holocaust. Actually it's not just her, several people have told me that. It is not that I have a fascination with death. I really don't. But I do believe that we have to learn from the mistakes of the past in order to avoid them in the future.

I am also amazed by the strength and courage of those who fought back. Those who decided to cheat the system, those who did not have concern for their own safety but were concerned with what the future held for Jews across Europe under the Third Reich.

Some fought back by simply surviving. Others gave out passports to Jews so they could leave (read blog about this here). Others found ways of smuggling food into the ghetto. And others found ways of smuggling children out of the ghetto.

I recently learned about Irena Sendler. She fought back. She volunteered to work in the Warsaw ghetto as a plumbing specialist, not exactly a luxurious job. But she wasn't there just to work on plumbing and sewers, she had other plans.

She smuggled infants out of the ghetto in the bottom of the tool box she carried and had a burlap bag in the back of her truck in order to smuggle out larger children. She also had a dog that she trained to bark at the Nazis. They were afraid of the dog and would stay away from it, and therefore would stay away from her. The dog's barking would also cover up any noises that the baby would be making. During her time of smuggling out children- she saved 2500 lives. She kept a jar of the names of the children she had smuggled out and buried it in her backyard.

She was eventually caught and was severally beaten by the Nazis.

She was recognized as being Righteous Among the Nations- an award given by the state of Israel to non-Jews who saved Jews from the Holocaust.



She passed away at the age of 98 in Warsaw in 2008.

I know that sometimes the question gets brought up of "Would you do the same in that situation?". My answer is usually "I would hope so." But I'm beginning to think that maybe a better answer would be that I pray that we are not faced with that situation. But the situation is already there. There are genocides and injustices all around the world. What are we doing? What can we do?

It doesn't have to be something as radical as what Irena did.

We just need to do something.

I need to do something.

My social policy class has got me thinking about what we can do. It is true that it is nearly impossible to change things instantly, or even somewhat quickly. But we can do little things. Volunteer around town. Participate in Operation Beautiful. Donate money or things. It can be something as simple as being kind to someone who you don't feel deserves that. Maybe even just being aware of what is going on around the globe and praying.

This 'sermon' is not directed at anyone more than it is at me. I'm embarrassed by how little I've done. But as Robert Allen Zimmerman (Bob Dylan) once said "The times they are a changin'" and with God's help, so am I.

I will do something.