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 “I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits. I believe that what self-centered men have torn down, men other-centered can build up. I still believe that one day mankind will bow before the altars of God and be crowned triumphant over war and bloodshed, and nonviolent redemptive goodwill will proclaim the rule of the land ... I still believe that we shall overcome.”
-Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Noble Prize Acceptance Speech, Dec. 10, 1965
Every January, our nation honors the memory of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. On Martin Luther King Day, we have an opportunity to celebrate the strides our country has made in the ongoing struggle for civil rights and a chance to pause and reflect on all of those who sacrificed their lives for the sacred cause of equality. But this day also provides us with another opportunity: to renew our commitment to Dr. King’s audacious vision of a world in which all of God's children, blacks and whites, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, we are free at last." Genesis teaches us that we are all created b’tselem Eloheim, “in the Image of God.” Dr. King’s faith was, too, guided by this principle. The Christianity of Dr. King and the Judaism of the Reform Jewish Movement share a common vision, grounded in the Godliness of human life and committed to the pursuit of a more just society. This year, may we today find the strength to continue marching on that long road to freedom. For information on the Reform Jewish Movement and Civil Rights, please contact Legislative Assistant Rebecca Katz at 202.387.2800.
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These congregations uphold Dr. King's legacy as they unite to work toward justice.
On the Shabbat before Martin Luther King Day, you may wish to sermonize on Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement. Here are some notes and ideas for sermons.
Ways to honor Dr. King at religious school assemblies and in lessons plans
Consult this page for information on the Reform Jewish Movement and civil rights.
This guide explores Jewish and socially just celebrations of Thanksgiving and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It also includes a section on the Super Bowl, for good measure!
Many leaders of the Reform Jewish Movement were arrested with Dr. King in St. Augustine, Florida, in 1964 after a challenge to racial segregation in public accommodations. Hear the story firsthand from Rabbi Israel Dresner, who marched and was later arrested in St. Augustine. This podcast was produced in collaboration with NFTY.
This guidebook for schools, organizations and parents, created by the California State University-Fullerton, provides Historical Sketches, an MLK Learning Toolkit, an MLK Reflection Toolkit, and various supplemental resources.
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In his August 28, 1963, speech at the Lincoln Memorial for the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, King urged America to "make real the promises of democracy."Read it or listen to an audio clip here.
Dr. King wrote this letter on April 16, 1963. Listen to an audio clip of the letter here.
Delivered at Riverside Church (NYC) to clergy and lay leaders concerned about Vietnam on April 4, 1967
Delivered in Memphis, TN on April 3, 1968, in support of the striking sanitation workers at Mason Temple
Given December 10, 1964, in Oslo, Norway
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Established by Coretta Scott King in 1968 as the official, living memorial dedicated to the advancement of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
A major research effort to assemble and disseminate historical information concerning Martin Luther King, Jr. and the social movements in which he participated
Established in 1980 to protect and interpret the places where Dr. King was born, worked, worshiped and is buried
Assists the public in understanding the lessons of the Civil Rights Movement and its impact and influence on the human rights movement worldwide, through its collections, exhibitions, research and educational programs.
Provides both an excellent brief biography of Dr. King and a bibliography for further research.
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Coretta Scott King writes about Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, which celebrates the life and legacy of a man who brought hope and healing to America.
Stuart Appelbaum, President of the Jewish Labor Committee, writes, "For Jews, Dr. King was ... a uniquely important ally in the fight against anti-Semitism and for a secure Israel."
Why should Jews celebrate Martin Luther King’s birthday? Why should we devote one of our Shabbat services to such a theme? Rabbi William Kuhn of Temple Rodeph Shalom answers these questions on his synagogue's blog.
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