We need world peace

Last week during the UN General Assembly the Assembly’s President said that the world is facing “stark choices about who we are as an international community”. We can choose a path of solidarity, or a path of aggression, war, and normalized violations of international law.

We should never push the limits of accepting evil. As a humanitarian and Peace Ambassador, I want to remind you of important symbols – White Rose and the young brave student – Sophie Scholl.

A Few days ago there was the 80th anniversary of the execution of Sophie Scholl – a young German student involved in the “White Rose” non-violent, intellectual resistance – a powerful example of youthful protest toward the Nazi Regime, representing purity and innocence in the face of evil. The White Rose group was motivated by ethical and moral considerations.

 

The White Rose was a small endeavor with large consequences. At its core were siblings Hans and Sophie Scholl, their fellow students Alexander Schmorell, Willi Graf, and Christoph Probst, and a professor of philosophy and musicology at the University of Munich, Kurt Huber. Together they published and distributed six pamphlets, first typed on a typewriter, then multiplied via mimeograph. At first, they only distributed them via mail, sending them to professors, booksellers, authors, friends, and others—going through phone books for addresses and hand-writing each envelope. In the end, they distributed thousands, reaching households all over Germany. Acquiring such large amounts of paper, envelopes, and stamps at a time of strict rationing without raising suspicion was problematic, but the students managed by engaging a wide-ranging network of supporters in cities and towns as far north as Hamburg, and as far south as Vienna. These networks were also activated to distribute the pamphlets, attempting to trick the Gestapo into believing the White Rose had locations all across the country.

 

Today each of us is an advocate of peace and moral education. Today all of us are responsible for future generations.

 

We have to do everything in our power to bring peace.