As we observe Martin Luther King day, I think it has more meaning to those of us who recall life in the US prior to the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. We recall a time in the US when all of our fellow citizens did not enjoy full rights or protection under the law. In our Jewish tradition, ‘we remember’ what was. We remember voting rights being denied, housing rights being denied, even separate water fountains for our citizens of color. And under the leadership of MLK these wrongs were corrected. The work is not done, the journey is not complete but as Perkai Avot teaches us, we may not finish the task, but we are not free to ignore it either. The work begun in the 1960s continues and we must, in the non-violent tradition of MLK, continue to do our part to effect positive change. We take a moment today to remember Dr. King and be grateful for his work.

The photo below is from Jerusalem. The role and memory of MLK are recognized around the world. In Jerusalem, in the Promised Land, MLK has a street named for him. The large font says “Martin Luther King Street”. The smaller script say, “American leader, a fighter for civil rights in the United States”. Oh and in a civil rights note, please see that street signs in Israel are written in Hebrew, English and Arabic.