THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, January 14, 1983 19
Martin Luther King's Civil Rights Battle
Had Impact on Jewish Community Too
By RABBI BENJAMIN
KAMIN
World Union for
Progressive Judaism
Martin Luther King, Jr.
would have been 54 years
old Saturday. Since his
death at age 39, Dr. King's
dreams have evaporated
and most Americans have
turned inward.
It is getting harder and
harder to remember how
Dr. King ignited us,
changed us, and returned
American Jews to their
prophetic tradition. But he
did.
The Jews, a people with
generally decentralized
patterns, responded to King
as to no other American in
the country's history. In ef-
fect, he became the living
moral flagship for the na-
tion —and especially for the
liberal Jewish community
in the 1960s.
The
Jews
had
applauded Harry Tru-
man's courageous en-
dorsement of Israel is
1948 and gathered
around Bobby Kennedy
in the 1960s, but had
never involved them-
Who's Got
APPLE
Software?
(and more)
station
11111 11111°
.
10% OFF
WITH THIS AD
24484 W Ten Mile Rd.
Southfield, Ml 48034(313) 358-5820
I./ block W. of Telegraph)
Offer ends 1 . 24.83
MARTIN LUTHER KING
selves emotionally and
physically as was the
case with Dr. King. With
uncharacteristic exuber-
ance, and real bravery,
Jews trusted and worked
for Martin Luther King.
Albert Vorspan, vice
president of the Union of
American Hebrew Congre-
gations (UAHC) and direc-
tor of its Commission on So-
cial Action, was an associ-
ate of Dr. King in the civil
rights movement. He re-
calls that the black-Jewish
alliance was at the heart of
the movement. "He had an
extraordinary impact upon
us," Vorspan recalls. "Like
no other non-Jewish part-
ner, American Jews gave to
Dr. King a blank check of
commitment."
A remarkable Black-
Jewish partnership was
galvanized by Dr. King. In
the great struggle to de-
segregate the South, rabbis
were hosed and beaten and
jailed alongside King and
the many other freedom
fighters of all backgrounds
-
Kolar Studio
Interior Decorating
30780 SOUTHFIELD RD.
SOUTHFIELD, MICH. 48076
642-8880
WE DO UPriOLSTERING
Also
Drapes, Repair Lamps,
Upholster Lamp Shades,
Match Lamp Shades
With Furniture
CANING
Machine - Hand Caning - Rush
Bali 1" Blinds
Woven Woods
Vertical Blinds
vinyl or cloth
FREE ESTIMATES
60% OFF
70% OFF
All Our Work Guaranteed
who joined the battle
against the tyranny of ra-
cism.
Jewish representation
was disproportionately high
during the dangerous Mis-
sissippi summer of 1964 and
in every anti-
discrimination effort of
those times. The notorious
and cold-blooded executions
in Philadelphia, Miss. of
three young civil rights
workers in 1964 took the
lives of two Jews and one
black.
At the march on Wash-
ington in 1963 and in St.
Augustine and Birming- •
ham and Selma and
Montgomery and Memphis,
Jewish involvement in the
lifeline of Martin Luther
King's campaign for human
dignity was signal.
The admiration Jews
felt for Dr. King, and the
strong historical affinity
of the Jews to the black
experience, was by no
means one-sided. When
he spoke at the conven-
tion of the Union of
American Hebrew Con-
gregations in Chicago in
1963, Dr. King related his
dream to the proven abil-
ity of Jews to transcend
discouragement and de-
spair. In his later writ-
ings, the black preacher
wrote: "The lesson of
Jewish mass involve-
ment in social and politi-
cal action and education
is worthy of emulation."
Dr. King encouraged his
Own brothers and sisters
to become active politi-
cally, as Jews had done,
in order to assure a more
equal role in society.
In 1983, however, it can
be fairly asked what has be-
come of Dr. King's historic
struggle. Does the dream he
articulated and shared with
so many of so many differ-
ing backgrounds speak to us
still?
Certainly, the times are
different, the issues blurred
by overriding economic ob-
sessions. But one is sad-
dened by those whose recol-
lections of those urgent and
heady days have di-
minished into nostalgia.
Not enough youngsters,
black or white, know much
about Martin Luther King
today, and America in gen-
eral has fallen into a res-
igned non-concern.
That Martin Luther
King's dream of full equal-
ity in a free society for all
Ameriacans remains a
vision too far from realiza-
tion is our failure, not his.
But because we Jews shared
so much of what was his, we
remember him now, on his
birthday, with special
warmth, identification and
love.
For those who
want the finest custom
furniture at...
AFFORDABLE PRICES
The simplest cube to the most
wall unit built to your
specifications by meticulous craftsmen.
Selections for every room in your
intricate
home or office in fine woods, laminates,
marble, glass and specializing in...
OUTSTANDING LUCITE DESIGNS
Catl
iligivaff, 354-4126
DECAFFEINATED COFFEE
richness
for the taking
Israel Bonds
Managers Strike
NEW YORK (JTA) — A
strike by 58 city managers
working in offices through-
out the United States for the
Development Corp. for Is-
rael, the Israel Bond Organ-
ization, remained dead-
locked Sunday with no new
negotiations scheduled, ac-
cording to statements by
both sides.
Martin Cohen, president
of Local 1881 of the Ameri-
can Federation of State,
County and Municipal Em-
ployees (AFSCME), said the
city managers for the Israel
Bond offices, who he said
are responsible for Israel
Bond sales in 60 geographic
regions and divisions, went
on strike Jan. 3 after
negotiations for a new con-
tract broke down on issues
of job security.
Abstinence is the begin-
ning of saintliness.
...
Enjoy richness tonight...and every night with Brim® Decaffeinated
Coffee. It has all the rich taste you want. And because Brim is decaf-
feinated, you can enjoy as much as you want.
No matter how you make coffee, there's a Brim especially for you.
And every one is certified Kosher. Whether you choose Automatic
Drip, Regular, Electric- Perk or Freeze Dried, you can take in all the
richness you want...when you fill your cup to the rim with Brim.
©1981 General Food Corporation
*111011.
GENERAL FOODS
K CERTIFIED KOSHER