This offering is dedicated to all of those people who have died as
victims of the war habit, war mentality, and war economy. It is done
with hope of peace in the present and faith in the future.
It is dedicated to the POWs. Both those human beings whose bodies
were captured and to all others whose minds and spirits may never be
free of the hurt and the hate of war. It is dedicated to their lovers
and families. It is with a prayer of action that if they must suffer,
may their suffering be a reminder and a warning of the future. May that
reminder and warning be a catalyst to bring the people to a commitment
to peace at all costs.
Finally, this book is dedicated to every seventeen year-old. May she
or he know that just because "it" was done that way in the
past, doesn't mean that it is the only way.
It is with faith in them that we hope the following parable will
illuminate their journeys.
An old rabbi once asked his pupils how they could tell when the
night had ended and the day had begun.
"Could it be," asked one of the students, "when
you can see an animal at a distance and tell whether it is a sheep
or a dog?"
"No," answered the rabbi.
Another asked, "Is it when you can look at a tree in the
distance and tell whether it is a fig tree or a peach tree?"
"No," answered the rabbi.
"It is when you can look on the face of any man or woman and
see that it is your sister or brother. Because if you cannot see
this, it is still night."
from Tales of the Hasidim
