Never Again

In the aftermath of the Holocaust, humanity was faced with a terrible new word: genocide. Though the Shoah was not the first attempt to systematically and intentionally destroy a particular group, the atrocities committed in camps, ghettos, and victims' own homes prompted the world's political community to name it, define it, and prevent it from ever happening again. Unfortunately, as Darfur, the former Yugoslavia, and Rawanda show us, we still have some work to do.

A task force convened by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the American Academy of Diplomacy, and the U.S. Institute of Peace recommended in a 147-page report put out earlier this month that genocide prevention and response should be incorporated into U.S. military planning and training.


The report, penned by a committee co-chaired by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former Secretary of Defense William Cohen, says the next U.S. president must “demonstrate at the outset that preventing genocide and mass atrocities is a national priority." In addition to the formation of a  Atrocities Prevention Committee, the report stresses that the U.S. must consider its military as a tool against genocide, particularly in regard to prevention.

The Museum of Jewish Heritage also believes that the leadership of the United States military is essential in preventing genocides in the future. The United States Service Academy Program is a dynamic three-week educational initiative in Poland created by the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation (AJCF) for a select group of cadets and midshipmen from the U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Naval Academy, and the U.S. Air Force Academy. Focusing on the Holocaust and related contemporary moral and ethical considerations, this  program provides an authentic learning experience for future military officers that extends beyond what they are taught in their Academy classrooms. These incredible men and women go on to become ambassadors of ethical behavior and responsibility to their peers.