By Rabbi Michael Stressfeld

Who knows one? One is the Janjaweed  militia cleansing Darfur.

Who knows one? Two is the stealing and killing of livestock.

Who knows one? Three is the poisoning of wells and the destruction of crops.

Who knows one? Four is the deliberate use of rape to destroy and humiliate families.

Who knows one? Five is the creation of 2.5 million people: displaced, hungry, susceptible to disease.

Who knows one? Six is the over 400,000 people who have already died.

These and more are the plagues of Darfur.

Who knows one?

I know one.

Send a postcard to President Bush.

Urge him to take leadership on this issue.

Lo dayenu –but it is not enough.

Who knows one?

I know one.

Encourage institutions to hang Save Darfur

banners outside their buildings.

Lo dayenu –but it is not enough.

Who knows one?

I know one.

Attend the rally in Washington, DC on April 30th.

Lo dayenu –but it is not enough.

Who knows one?

I know one.

Encourage others to go to the rally.

Lo dayenu–but it is not enough.

Who knows one?

I know one—Rwanda.

Who knows one?

I know one—Bosnia.

Who knows one?

I know one—Cambodia.

There are too many ones.

And I am the child who does not know how to count:

One. Two. Four hundred thousand. Six million.

For six million are the lips of our dead mouthing

“never again” in eternal silence.

Who knows one? I know one.

For I am that one.

One person created in the image of God.

It is for me alone to speak out. I and no other.

Not a messenger, not a congressperson,

not a president.

I alone am here to tell the tale.

Who knows one? I am that one.

And who knows—I may be the one who 

will make the difference.

SAVE DARFUR.


haggadah Section: Commentary / Readings
Source: David Arnow, New Jewish Fund 2006