Remembering Martin Luther King

It was nearly two generations ago that Martin Luther King, the most important black leader of our time, was involved not only in the civil rights struggle, but also participated in the efforts to free Soviet Jewry, make Israel a secure and independent state, and combat anti-Semitism. That is why Jews worldwide should enthusiastically join celebrations of Martin Luther King Day on Monday, Jan. 15. The details of the connection between Dr. King and Jewish people seem to be fading with time. We should never let that happen.

We should remember that from virtually the very beginning of the movement to free Soviet Jews in the 1960s, Dr. King was a major advocate on their behalf. Nearly 40 years ago, he publicly sought support for the re-establishment of the "religious and cultural freedom" of Soviet Jews. He also urged the Soviet government to "end all discriminatory measures against the Jewish community."

Dr. King's commitment to a secure and independent Israel was also clear. A few months after the Six-Day War, he wrote to Jewish community leaders that "Israel's right to exist as a state in security is incontestable." In addressing a convention of rabbis just 10 days before his tragic death in 1968, the Nobel Prize laureate referred to Israel as "one of the great outposts of democracy in the world." He went on to say that "we must stand with all our might to protect [Israel's] right to exist, its territorial integrity."

Dr. King also frequently denounced anti-Semitism. According to him, "the segregationists and racists make no fine distinction between the Negro and the Jew." In a letter to Jewish leaders, he attacked anti-Semitism "within the Negro community, because it was wrong. I will continue to oppose it, because it is immoral and self-destructive."
In retrospect, King's adoption of these causes is not surprising, given his belief that the freedom of blacks was inextricably tied to the universal right of all groups to live in peace, free from discrimination and oppression.

It is perhaps less than coincidental that in synagogue across the country we begin the Book of Exodus this weekend, the very weekend we celebrate his birthday. The Exodus story, the story of the Jewish People leaving Egypt, was adopted by Dr. King and the civil rights movement in America as their paradigm, too. Dr. King saw the relationship between blacks and Jews as a natural alliance. We should pray for a time when that can again ring true, and in whatever small way possible, help to make it come to pass. That would be the best way to remember Martin Luther King’s birthday.