YOUNG JEWS AND TUTSIS TO RWANDA, ISRAEL AND AUSCHWITZ

The idea stems from young Jews wishing to open up to the past, to history and to the future of the Tutsi people. Without trying to compare the Jewish and Tutsi genocides, the chief aim of the trip – which will take place in 2006 – is to bring together some thirty young Jews and Rwandans. “We wish to go to Rwanda, to the places that are a memorial to the Tutsi genocide, and then continue on to Poland for a visit to the camps. After due consideration, we have decided to go to Israel after Rwanda, because the country embodies a very large majority of Jewish population, a form of “after” and of reconstruction. On the 10th anniversary of the Tutsi genocide, in 2004, we realized as education leaders of a Jewish youth movement, that the Rwandan genocide is not at all taught in the State schools. And worse still, the Tutsi genocide is not at all taught at the core of our activities, which nonetheless consider themselves to be involved. A dozen professionals (historians, journalists and various personalities among whom Haïm Musicant, Director General of CRIF, helped us to think through this project and build it up”, said Yoni Smadja.