April is over, and we have passed through the month of Genocide memorials — the Nazi Holocaust, the genocide in Armenia and the more recent one in Rwanda to name a few. The following article describes the challenge, and the benefit, of balancing the unique aspects of each with the universal issue of genocide.
For some, even discussing the need for such a balancing act is offensive. But it seems to me that for Jews who believe I’m both the uniqueness of Jewish experience AND the sacredness of all human beings (think Genesis 1:27) maintaining that balance should be a sacred obligation.

April is the cruelest month for genocide survivors. When Governor-General Michaëlle Jean was in Rwanda acknowledging Canada’s feeble efforts during the 1994 genocide, she found herself in the middle of the country’s annual period of commemorative mourning. I’ve been there several Aprils and it’s a grim, trying, often traumatic time for victims and perpetrators alike.
Why April? By some weird fluke, both the Armenian genocide and the Jewish Holocaust also have anniversaries in April. So the memorialization of the three indisputably classic genocides of the 20th century, those that fit every criterion of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, all occur within the same 30-day period.