Film: "I shall Not Be Silent", Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and His Rabbi. Discussion to follow.

On August 28, 1963, over 200,000 people congregated in the National Mall for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom to advocate for civil and economic rights for African Americans. Those gathered heard Dr. King of the SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference) share his extraordinary "I Have a Dream" speech as well as a young John Lewis of SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee). 

Accompanying these giants of the Civil Rights Movement was Rabbi Joachim Prinz, President of the American Jewish Congress. Rabbi Prinz was a key coalition leader, one of the “Big Ten” who ensured that the march took place and a featured speaker at the March. His powerful words, spoken from the dais at the Lincoln Memorial steps, shared his sentiments as a lifelong justice seeker who was influenced by his experience as a pulpit rabbi and outspoken critic in Berlin under Nazi rule prior to World War II.  
Rabbi Prinz expressed his unique voice as a Jew who sought refuge in a nation that celebrated an American Dream, adding his recognition of the work that the United States must perform to achieve its highest ideals. His words demonstrated his commitment to Dr. King’s philosophy of Nonviolence and bolstered the effort for racial equality.

The film shows both Rabbi Prinz’s story and his philosophy. It demonstrates how his experience of anti-Semitism helped shape his universalistic, humanistic vision of an equitable, inclusive United States. We will hear how Rabbi Prinz’s words at the Lincoln Memorial expanded the conventional understanding of the biblical command to “Love thy neighbor as thyself” into “a collective responsibility” for all Americans.

We invite you to join us for a film screening, followed by a discussion (in formation) including Rabbi Jonathan Klein of Temple Beth El in Bakersfield.

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Category: Community | Education