Justice is speaking truth to power

It is an icon of American Jewish life. It is a sacred symbol of the ideal in Black-Jewish relations. It is the photograph of Abraham Joshua Heschel walking arm in arm with Martin Luther King, Jr., in the front row of marchers at Selma. Reprinted in Jewish textbooks, synagogue bulletins, and in studies of ecumenical relations, the picture has come to symbolize the great moment of symbiosis of the two communities, Black and Jewish, which today seems shattered.

The relationship between the two men began in January, 1963, and was a genuine friendship of affection as well as a relationship of two colleagues working together in political causes. As King encouraged Heschel’s involvement in the Civil Rights movement, Heschel encouraged King to take a public stance against the war in Vietnam. When the Conservative rabbis of America gathered in 1968 to celebrate Heschel’s sixtieth birthday, the keynote speaker they invited was Dr. King. Ten days later, when Dr. King was assassinated, the rabbi Mrs. King invited to speak at the funeral was Dr. Heschel.

Judaism has always been a religion motivated by the prophetic voice to take action in fighting against injustice, inequality and prejudice. We speak time and again of the centrality of tikkun olam (repairing the world) in the covenantal relationship we have with God. We demand that our B’nai Mitzvah students do “Mitzvah Projects.” Each of our synagogues has a “Mitzvah Day,” dedicated to helping make our community in Pinellas County one that is filled with justice and ethics and morality.

As a whole the Jewish community is to be commended for supporting important social service institutions and for both privately and publicly making sure that we are doing our part to meet people’s essential needs. As a whole we respond to those in need and we engage in acts of gemilut chasadim (loving kindness, mercy) with great energy. But we are not really responding to the prophetic mandate articulated by the likes of Micah (6:8):

It has been told to you what is good, And what the Lord requires of you: Only to DO JUSTICE (pursue justice)

And to LOVE GOODNESS (be merciful)

And to WALK HUMBLY WITH YOUR GOD (be faithful).

We are being faithful when we gather for Shabbat and festivals. We are being merciful when we do the mitzvot of gemilut chasadim. But how actively do we truly pursue justice? Are we doing enough to really call ourselves those who pursue, actively and forcefully, a more just society in which to live.

Both Heschel and King spoke of each other as prophets. On March 25, 1968, just ten days before he was assassinated, King delivered the keynote address at a birthday celebration honoring Heschel, convened by the Rabbinical Assembly of America, an umbrella organization of Conservative rabbis. In his introduction of King to the audience, Heschel asked, “Where in America today do we hear a voice like the voice of the prophets of Israel? Martin Luther King is a sign that God has not forsaken the United States of America. God has sent him to us. His presence is the hope of America. His mission is sacred, his leadership of supreme importance to every one of us.” In his address, King stated that Heschel “is indeed a truly great prophet.” He went on, “here and there we find those who refuse to remain silent behind the safe security of stained glass windows, and they are forever seeking to make the great ethical insights of our Judeo-Christian heritage relevant in this day and in this age. I feel that Rabbi Heschel is one of the persons who is relevant at all times, always standing with prophetic insights to guide us through these difficult days.”

These great men are our role models. We need to follow in their footsteps, and involve ourselves actively in the pursuit of justice. How do we achieve this? First and foremost, by becoming congregations and institutions committed to being places where justice defines who we are and what we are about. Secondly, we need to find partners in the community so that we can collaborate in creating a more just society. And finally, we need to be ready to take action when the opportunity arises.

FAST (Faith and Action for Strength Together) is an interfaith coalition of faith communities in Pinellas County that pursues social change locally by helping us to establish social justice networks in our places of worship and then using those networks to “speak truth to power.” With a total of 35 member congregations, only 2 of which are Jewish, FAST has a proven track record in being at the forefront of social change in key areas of concern to our broader community. We need a greater Jewish presence in the coalition if this partnership is to be meaningful.

Secondly, the Jewish community has been represented by only one or two Jewish institutions at the city’s annual commemoration of Martin Luther King’s life and work. As the rabbi of the only congregation that marches in the annual MLK parade each January, I am proud of what we have accomplished and acutely aware of how much more we need to do. But as we fulfill Heschel’s inspiring comment (“We are praying with our feet”), we invite all members of the community to be part of this very real pursuit of justice.

In closing, let us be reminded that our Torah’s principles of liberty, justice, and the equality of all people, have shaped American democracy from its earliest colonial beginnings. Inspired by the promise of the American values of freedom and opportunity, Jews have played a vital role in the founding and building of this nation. We are proud citizens of this country, fully embracing our rights and obligations to the United States. Let us remember that these obligations include prophetic dissent, expressed in the democratic process, as well as full civic engagement in our society. Let us remember that we can and we do make a difference when we engage in the acts of repairing our world.

The Rabbinically Speaking column is provided as a public service by the Jewish Press in cooperation with the Pinellas County Board of Rabbis. Columns are assigned, on a rotating basis by the board.