 A word from Rabbi Lina  Kehillath Shalom Synagogue was founded by families who supported a spiritual leader who worked for Civil Rights and against the Vietnam War. Rabbi Lloyd Tennenbaum was fired from his previous congregation for being too political. For our founding families, this was not a problem, but an inspiration. What were his commitments? Rabbi Tannenbaum was an organizer for the Consultative Conference on Desegregation in Virginia in 1955; he was one of 9 clergy arrested at a prayer vigil and protest in Albany, Georgia in 1962 (which inspired the Conservative Movement's Rabbinical Assembly to pass a resolution supporting its rabbis to go to Birmingham to support Dr. King in its name); he was at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963; and he was a founder of Clergy Concerned about Vietnam. Today is the yahrzeit of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Below is the picture of Rabbi Heschel marching with Dr. King and others on the second March from Selma to Montgomery. Many people reference this picture when speaking about Jews' work in civil rights, but it is important to remember that this picture is from 1965, more than half a century ago. There is still much work to be done, broadly and in our own communities. Newsday recently published a piece of investigative journalism exposing ongoing discrimination in housing on Long Island. Perhaps you are reading this and asking yourself, "but what can I do?" Here are a number of opportunities for this weekend and beyond: On Friday night, please join us at 7:30 for a service and Forum with Elaine Gross, executive director of ERASE Racism, which has been working to end segregation and discrimination on Long Island. On Sunday night, come to the Suffolk Y JCC for a community interfaith celebration of Dr. King's legacy. On Monday, do service: we will make lunch for our neighbors who are fed by Helping Hands Rescue Mission in Huntington Station. And on Tuesday, attend one of ERASE Racism's programs right here in Huntington on building a just Long Island. Ten days before Dr. King's assassination, Rabbi Heschel introduced him to speak at the Rabbinical Assembly: "Where does God dwell in America today? Is God at home with those who are complacent, indifferent to other people's agony, devoid of mercy? Is God not rather with the poor and the contrite in the slums? ... Where in America 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. ... Martin Luther King is a voice, a vision and a way. I call upon every Jew to hearken to his voice, to share his vision, to follow his way. The whole future of America will depend upon the impact and influence of Dr. King." Let us live up to the teachings of our tradition, the legacy of Dr. King and Rabbi Heschel, and embrace the foundation of our synagogue, Kehillath Shalom, a community of peace. Join us for a Shabbat service and conversation with Elaine Gross, Executive Director of ERASE Racism. Shabbat is “a remembrance of the going out of Egypt,” of liberation from slavery, and the Torah re-minds us, over and over again, to both act without bias and also to remember the vulnerable because we were once vulnerable. MLK Weekend is an important time to remember Jewish and American values of equality and justice and look at how we fall short. Long Island is among the ten most racially segregated metro regions in the country. We did not get that way by happenstance. We didn’t even get that way due to virulent hate on the part of individuals. We got that way largely because large swaths of people embraced laws, policies and practices in governments, businesses, and other institutions and groups that produced discriminatory outcomes. ERASE Racism is a regional organization that leads public policy advocacy campaigns and related initiatives to promote racial equity in areas such as housing, public school education, and community development. Its mission is to expose forms of racial discrimination, advocate for laws and policies that eliminate racial disparities, increase understanding of how structural racism and segregation impact our communities and region, and engage the public in fostering equity and inclusion.  Come in out of the cold and join Rabbi Lina for another Meditative Shabbat Service Torah Study at 10am - service to follow  Please note: this event is NOT at KSS! Click HERE for more details  Support Our Neighbors! Monday, January 20, 2020 We'll be meeting at KSS at 10:30 to make lunch for guests at the Helping Hands Rescue Mission in Huntington Station and take action to end hunger. All ages welcome to help. Donations to support program supplies welcome as well! RSVP required by 1.17 to Rabbi Lina - Rabbi_AT_KehillathShalomSynagogue.org  Showing of The Red Sea Diving Resort on January, 21st, 2020 On Shabbat morning, January 25, we will welcome Aviv Zaro, a “shinshin,” a young Israeli on a year of service between high school and army service. Aviv will share stories of his family’s journey to Israel from Ethiopia and share about his own experiences as an Israeli in Israel and here in the US with our adult members during our Torah Study time and then join our Torah School. His father came to Israel during Israeli operations depicted in the Netflix film “The Red Sea Diving Resort.” If you would like to see the film together, we will screen it on January 21 at 7 pm. Please rsvp to Rabbi Lina for location.  And this is all *just* this weekend!
To get a preview on what's to come, visit our Coming Events page! Comments are closed.
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