As
history moves further and further into the past, first hand witness accounts by
those who were “there” are fewer and fewer. But, historian David McCullough noted,
history wasn’t “history” the day it was lived. And so we are extremely fortunate
when a “living legacy” can fill in the details of a history making moment.
I
recently read a touching, true, eyewitness account set in Selma, Alabama in March of 1965.
On 25 March,1965, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led thousands of nonviolent demonstrators
to the steps of the capitol in Montgomery, Alabama, after a 5-day,
54-mile march which originated in Selma.
Marching with him was one of the greatest rabbis of all time, Abraham
Joshua Heschel. Heschel was a close
personal friend of Dr. King and they marched, side by side, arms linked with
other important faith leaders, in solidarity.
For Heschel, the march was
not just a political statement, it had spiritual significance. He wrote,
"For many of us the march from Selma to Montgomery was about protest and
prayer. Legs are not lips and walking is not kneeling. And yet our legs uttered
songs. Even without words, our march was worship. I felt my legs were
praying."
So
here is the story of one eyewitness to history.
This
past year, while preparing to officiate at a Bar Mitzvah in Selma, Alabama,
Rabbi Marshal Klaven was approached by an elderly African-American woman who
asked, “Do you know a rabbi by the name of Abraham Joshua Heschel?” Momentarily
taken aback, Rabbi Klaven responded, “I didn’t know him personally, but who
doesn’t know his enduring words from this very town, where he marched with Dr.
King. In recollecting on that moment, he said his “feet were praying.”’
“Well”,
Ms. Jackson responded, “when his feet weren’t praying, they were resting in my
home. I hosted him for the night and the
next morning I saw one of the most amazing sights these eyes of mine have ever
seen.
“The
Rabbi came into my living room, where the Russian Orthodox Priest (also staying
in our home) was sitting. They nodded to
one another in reverent silence. Then
the Rabbi put his prayer book on my mantle and recited his morning
prayers. All the while, the Priest
listened intently, prayerfully. When the
Rabbi finished, he closed his book and took a seat. Then, the Priest stood up, went to the
mantle, laid out his religious items and opened his prayer book. He too recited his morning prayers, while the
Rabbi sat there, intently, prayerfully, taking it all in.”
This
was her account of a wordless moment in history that still speaks volumes.
Rabbi
Klaven was mesmerized by her voice and his mind conjured up a picture of the historic
scene. For a moment both were silent. Rabbi
Klaven’s reverie was broken when Ms. Jackson added in a firm voice: “So, don’t tell me religions can’t get
along!”
History
is filled with voices that reach out and lift the spirits, and Jean Jackson’s story brings us such a voice, a voice that
enriches a moment in history.
.
I’d
like to conclude with a quote from David McCullough’s 2003 National Endowment
for the Humanities Lecture,
“There are, of course, great sweeping tides in
history -- plague, famine, financial panic, the calamities of nature and war.
Yet time and again, more often than not history turns on individual
personality, or character.”
Rabbi
Abraham Joshua Heschel and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were just such men; men of integrity, men of character, men
of faith who shaped the events of their day; their day, which we now call
history.
May
we continue to see the importance of and strength in interfaith relationships
as key building blocks of our communities.
I hope, that as we enter into interfaith alliances in our community,
that we are moved by the actions that day of both Rabbi Heschel and the Russian
Orthodox priest… and by Jean Jackson’s prophetic words.
Rabbi
Rose
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