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MERRIMAN RD

MIDDLEBELT RD

7782 Merriman Rd., Romulus, MI

SMITH RD

94

94

N

W

E

S

DTW

Exit 198 from I-94
Exit 20 from I-275

‡TZLNSDUNFRP

2002930

22 January 28 • 2016

Photos by John Sobczak

Let the

Jews and African
Americans join to
celebrate legacy of
Martin Luther King.

Mark Jacobs
Special to the Jewish News

Adult and youth choirs from Adat Shalom Synagogue, Russell Street Missionary
Baptist Church and Hillel Day School perform at a Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. pro-
gram at the church.

A

dat Shalom Synagogue in
Farmington Hills and Russell
Street Missionary Baptist Church
in Detroit jointly honored the legacy of
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in a program
Jan. 17 that raised money for the building
of a bomb shelter in Israel.
Building Bridges Together: An
Afternoon of Song and Inspiration was
held at the Detroit church where 700
people joined in a musical celebration of
King’s fight for civil rights and his affinity
to Israel. Rev. Deedee Coleman, church
pastor, is a fervent supporter of Israel and a
member of AIPAC, a sponsor of the event.
This cross-cultural demonstration of
solidarity between the African American
and Jewish communities was a true cel-
ebration. The Adat Shalom choir and the
Hillel Day School Youth Choir performed,
along with the church’s adult and youth
choir. Other singers and musicians from
both communities gave inspirational
performances, including jazz pianist Cliff
Monear, gospel solo artist Darla Spinner
and soprano Lauren Skuce Gross, who
sang a rousing rendition of “Amazing
Grace.” At the conclusion, the inspired
crowd joined hands and swayed in unison
to “We Shall Overcome.”
Speakers, including clergy from Adat
Shalom and local churches, spoke of
Rev. King’s iconic role in the civil rights
struggle, and often contrasted the histori-
cal experiences of both African American
and Jews. Rabbi Aaron Bergman read
an excerpt from King’s “I Have a Dream”
speech and detailed King’s special bond
with Rabbi Abraham Heschel, whom King
described as “one of the truly great men of
his time,” and who marched beside King
and later eulogized him at his funeral.
The keynote speaker was Rabbi
Yechiel Eckstein, founder/president of
the International Fellowship of Christians
and Jews, who flew in from Israel for the
event. Eckstein spoke of the urgent need

Hillel Day School choir members: sixth-
grader Shoshana Sprecher and fifth-
grader Celia Levy.

Rabbi Yechiel Epstein of the
International Fellowship of Christians
and Jews in Israel speaks about King’s
dedication to Israel’s security.

Rabbi Aaron Bergman of Adat Shalom speaks about King’s close relationship with
Rabbi Abraham Heschel.

for bomb shelters in Israel and said the
shelter that will be built from this event
will bear the name of Adat Shalom and
the Russell Street Missionary Baptist
Church. Eckstein reminded all of King’s
dedication to Israel’s security, noting
King’s words that “peace for Israel means
security, and we must stand with all our

might to protect its right to exist, its ter-
ritorial integrity.”
Afterward, Rev. Coleman beamed at the
outpouring of support for King and Israel,
stating that the event was yet another
demonstration of the “power of building
bridges between African Americans and
Jews.”

*