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Please take a moment to watch this video. The Jewish obligation to speak out about this genocide should be self-evident, but it's important to remind ourselves - and the rest of the world - from time to time. 1/ https://twitter.com/_JMUF/status/1354862766608310275
Chief Rabbi Mirvis spoke up about this last month in a bracing and important essay:
http://amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/dec/15/chief-rabbi-silent-plight-uighurs-atrocity-china
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http://amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/dec/15/chief-rabbi-silent-plight-uighurs-atrocity-china
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The videos of prisoners with their heads shaved, blindfolded and shackled, being put on transport trains had shocking and painful resonances for the Jewish community. https://news.sky.com/story/chinas-detention-of-uighurs-video-of-blindfolded-and-shackled-prisoners-authentic-11815401
The stories about seized shipments of human hair - up to 13 tons, by some reports - stunned and horrified us. https://apnews.com/article/fff5fc7925f09916bf6b9d5f79bb4132
So what can we do about it?
One important first step is to recognize this attempted genocide for what it is.
The Trump team caught some flak for making this statement so late in its admin, but it was the right thing to do.
U.S. Says China’s Repression of Uighurs Is ‘Genocide’ https://nyti.ms/3pc5BE1
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The Trump team caught some flak for making this statement so late in its admin, but it was the right thing to do.
U.S. Says China’s Repression of Uighurs Is ‘Genocide’ https://nyti.ms/3pc5BE1
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The other thing we can do is act with our wallets. Would you knowingly purchase anything that was produced by forced labor in a place like this?
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/alison_killing/xinjiang-camps-china-factories-forced-labor
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https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/alison_killing/xinjiang-camps-china-factories-forced-labor
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The @BBCWorld and other are reporting that China is using prisoners' forced labor to pick and process cotton for use in consumer textiles.
https://bbc.in/381Mhlt
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https://bbc.in/381Mhlt
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(Americans, just sit with that for a few minutes: enslaved persons being forced to pick cotton. Remind you of anything?)
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The good news is that some retailers are beginning to make conscientious changes to their purchasing.
Like the decision from @marksandspencer to ban cotton from Xinjiang. This was a tough choice, but it was the correct one.
https://business.inquirer.net/315323/uks-marks-and-spencer-to-ban-xinjiang-cotton-over-uighur-abuses
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Like the decision from @marksandspencer to ban cotton from Xinjiang. This was a tough choice, but it was the correct one.
https://business.inquirer.net/315323/uks-marks-and-spencer-to-ban-xinjiang-cotton-over-uighur-abuses
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And you can help too!
Do some research about where your favorite brands buy cotton. Ask them to commit to refuse profits to those who practice forced labor.
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Do some research about where your favorite brands buy cotton. Ask them to commit to refuse profits to those who practice forced labor.
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And take a look at the this site and its call to action:
https://enduyghurforcedlabour.org/
Spend some time on the "Brands" section. Drop a note to your favorite designers and retailers, and ask them to make a public commitment against genocide.
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https://enduyghurforcedlabour.org/
Spend some time on the "Brands" section. Drop a note to your favorite designers and retailers, and ask them to make a public commitment against genocide.
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After all is said and done, I believe that China's coordinated policy of Uighur genocide will come to be known as one of the most egregious human rights tragedies of this century.
History will demand that we do what we can, while we can.
That's what "never again" means.
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History will demand that we do what we can, while we can.
That's what "never again" means.
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