THE CALL

Wow. Jet lag is a crazy thing. My roommate and I got up this morning and after getting ready went out into the lounge to meet up with the rest of our group at 8:30. After waiting for about fifteen minutes and seeing nobody, we decided to check the time and found that it still 6:40! OOPS. Anyway, today we went and visited the Jewish Holocaust museum as well as the Iziko South African National Gallery. Our goal for the beginning of the trip is to attempt to grasp as little bit of the history and culture of SA. Both were amazing, but the Holocaust museum was by far the most eye opening. During WWII, South Africa opened her arms to the many Jews fleeing persecution (which is interesting/disturbing b/c at the same time the British were fighting the Nazis they were imposing upon SA many of the same types of laws based on racial superiority). The museum documents the horrors of WWII and compares them to the horrors of apartheid. It is terrible how the SA policies were overlooked for so many years.
Capetown in the light is beautiful! Downtown near where we are staying stand age old buildings such as parliament and the library which are complimented by numerous statues documenting pieces of the country's past, while Table Mt. dominates the background. At the moment I am sitting in an internet cafe working on a paper that is due tomorrow, so I had better get going. Below is a quote that stood out to me at the Holocaust museum. It is a challenge and a call that I pray I will answer daily.


C-Ya,
joshua


"First they came for the socialists, and i did not speak out--because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade-unionists, and i did not speak out--because I was not a trade-unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and i did not speak out--because I was not a Jew. then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me." --Pastor Martin Niemoller, leader of Anti-Nazi Confessing Church

-do we only speak out when we are the ones directly affected?