“Responsibility” — Vaughan Meyer

My attention is pulled in so many directions every day — to my husband and children, to my ailing mother, to Israel, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Gaza, to the homeless in Los Angeles, and to many more local and national issues, but it always comes back to Sudan and Congo, and to the work we do with JWW. I have learned so much about these two places since I first started working with Jewish World Watch. I am acutely aware of the devastation left by years of war, of the violence that continues every day, of the innocent women and children who suffer disproportionately and of the horrific chaos all around. The people are constantly on my mind. I have heard stories from others who have traveled to this region, and I have seen pictures, and they haunt me and inspire me.

Tomorrow, I am finally taking my first trip to Congo. I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to make this journey, and I also feel quite strongly the responsibility I carry to bear witness, and to return and share the stories I will hear. It will be up to me to listen to those who have suffered so greatly, and to those who are working so hard to create a new Congo; to make sure that the world knows what is happening, and is inspired to continue to make progress where progress is already taking place.

I know that I am traveling to one of the most beautiful places in the world with extraordinary people. I know I will be changed when I return. Thank you to JWW for making this possible for me. I will do my best to honor this responsibility.

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