August 19, 2012

Jews Without Problems -- Rosh Hashanah morning 9/27/65

In response to an article in Time Magazine on Jews in America, Sidney Ballon delivered a clear, cogent, and yet another timeless exhortation to his congregation on Rosh Hashanah morning 1965 (5726 on the Hebrew calendar). The title is obviously tongue in cheek. He could not earnestly suggest that anyone would be without problems. But relative to Jews of other times and places, mid-Twentieth Century American Jews seemed to have no problems—and that was the problem!

Today the American Jew enjoys freedom—freedom to adhere to his faith or abandon it, to emphasize his differences or become invisible, but the question is whether he can endure his present freedom as well as he has survived his past oppression.

In some ways this sermon provides a bit of a departure from his familiar hand wringing over the deplorable state of modern Jewish apathy and ignorance. While he does not sugarcoat his concerns in this regard, he does outline four very specific remedies and concludes that even in the worst case he sees Judaism surviving the mixed blessing of religious freedom in America.

What to do, then, about being a Jew in America? Study as a Jew. Act as a Jew. Be emotionally involved with the Jewish people the world over, and join actively in the expression of Judaism through the life of the synagogue.

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Recently Time magazine published an article in its pages entitled, The New American Jew. It was, perhaps, a much better article on Jewish life than might have been expected in this particular periodical. It was in some respects incomplete, but apparently Time went to reliable sources for the information that it did present. It was understanding and discerning, and its insight was especially evident in its statement that Jewishness is “far more than religion; it is an inextricable mixture of faith, nationhood and culture." This is a thought that non-Jews very often cannot grasp, and even some Jews refuse to accept it. There is often the tendency to think of the Jew in terms of religion only and to overlook the aspects of peoplehood and culture. 

The main purpose of this article in Time was to describe the effect of Americanization on the Jew. It points out that Jews in the past have miraculously survived many eras of hostility directed at them from a number of sources, but today it suggests, that they are going through a new and different kind of testing time. The problem today, says Time, is that there is no problem. The Jew lives in peace and enjoys the benefits of a congenial environment as never before, but strangely enough this also threatens the survival of Judaism. Today the American Jew enjoys freedom—freedom to adhere to his faith or abandon it, to emphasize his differences or become invisible, but the question is whether he can endure his present freedom as well as he has survived his past oppression. In previous ages, regardless of how pleasant or not the conditions of life might be, the Jews were a separate community with their own distinctive faith and traditions. The mass absorption of Jews into the mainstream of the life of any country with a consequent loss of separate identity was unthinkable. But in today's American society the Jew becomes more and more like his neighbor, he is integrated and acculturated, and what was previously unthinkable becomes a distinct possibility. Therefore, implies Time, our sense of Jewish identity is weakened and the increasingly urgent questions that we Jews ask ourselves are What is a Jew? and What do I do about it? 

I am not sure that it is really of importance to us to have a precise answer to the first of these questions—What is a Jew?—but I do believe it is of importance to have an answer to the second question­—What to do about it?—if we do consider ourselves Jews—whatever definition we may want to use. There have been a number of attempts at creating an all-embracing definition of the Jew, but it has proven to be an exceedingly difficult task. For our purpose it would seem to me to be better to concentrate our attention on the other question—What do I do about being a Jew? It may well be that in spelling out what one does about being Jewish, we will have gone a long way also toward saying What is a Jew? 

The things that ought to distinguish the Jew are not really new. They are a carryover from the Jewish traditions of the past. They are actions which stem from certain concepts which have always been a part of the Jewish heritage through the years. It may be that we shall find some variation in their expression because of changing conditions, but in essence these concepts remain the same. If Judaism is to survive freedom, then Jews must choose to incorporate these concepts in one way or another into their pattern of thinking and living. These concepts are four in number and they may be divided into pairs, within which the two individual parts complement each other. 

The first of these pairs are Torah and mitzvah—Jewish learning and Jewish action. Torah was always the primary Jewish characteristic. Without knowledge of the tradition one could not be expected to function according to its spirit. And the most serious challenge we face in American Jewish life today is the reestablishment of some acceptable standard of Jewish knowledge. The interesting fact about modern Jewish life is that the traditional respect for learning has not disappeared, but it has been redirected. Two thirds of Jewish young people of college age are attending college, a far higher percentage than any other group. Jews have not given up their regard for the intellect, but in our eagerness to take our place culturally in the world at large, Jewish knowledge has been neglected, particularly at the college and adult level.

We do send our younger children for Jewish training, but even less than half of these children attend a Jewish school of any kind in any one year and very few of our children receive any instruction above the elementary level. Just think if our general education stopped at the elementary level what kind of a nation we would be. We would barely be a literate people. And so our Jewish community today may fairly be said to be, Jewishly speaking, a barely literate community. 

I think it is sad that there is no great Jewish university where at least some of our college young people could go to acquire the general knowledge that is necessary in our day, and at the same time be trained in Judaism, and be inspired to lead a full Jewish life. There is Yeshiva University which is, however, a small school with limited resources that is strictly Orthodox. And there is Brandeis University a great school which, however, prides itself on being Jewishly sponsored but nonsectarian. Can you picture the supporters of Fordham or Notre Dame taking pride in being nonsectarian! At the last convention of Conservative rabbis one of the speakers made mention of Brandeis University as having provided us with twin blessingsJewish self-hatred and the beatnik center of New England. He may have been a bit harsh, but I for one would be happier if all this Jewish money were poured into some good school with the academic excellence of Brandeis but which did not retreat into neutrality, which was positively dedicated to the goal of deepening Jewish knowledge and strengthening a love for Judaism. Such a school would go far to enrich the Jewish community and increase our spiritual strength. The transmission of a heritage depends upon education. 

The values and ideals and hopes of a people cannot be preserved in ignorance. If we want to do something about being Jewish, we must cultivate a Jewish mind. Young and old must be mindful of the ideal of Torah.

Now the other half of the pair—mitzvah. Learning alone is insufficient. The rabbis said, "Study is important, but the deed is more important."[i] Jewish life must be filled with proper deeds. It must be lived in response to godly commandments. Mitzvah is both the commandment and the deed. Jewish commandments traditionally are many in number, but our rabbis long ago summed them all up in the prophetic verses—

It hath been told thee, O man, what is good, and what the Lord doth require of thee: only to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.[ii]

What is hateful to thee, said Hillel, do not do unto thy fellowman. The rest is mere commentary. Go study.[iii]

If Judaism has any meaning or purpose it is as a commitment to the personal and social ethic taught by our prophets and sages. There are also ritual commandments of Judaism, and we do not mean to minimize them, but even the ritual commandments in Judaism were not mysterious sacraments which defy rational explanation but the intelligible symbols of high moral and ethical ideals. Judaism stands for wholesome relationships between man and his fellowman. It stands for marital fidelity and family responsibility. It stands for decent concern for the stranger, the laborer and the poor, for honesty and integrity, for peace among men.

We live today in a society which unfortunately has a split personality. We ascribe to one standard of ethics in theory, but we justify another standard in practice. We proclaim religious ethics as a reference guide, but in the marketplace or in the political field with scarcely a twinge of conscience many of us not only practice but defend a totally contrary way of life. We talk glibly about the brotherhood of man, but it is a brotherhood preferred all too often in someone else's neighborhood, not our own. We admire and speak of moral discipline, but too many of us do so providing it does not interfere with personal pleasure or advancement.

We plead that it is most difficult to adhere to the kind of moral principles that we know are really decent and right when all around us is the competition that seeks to beat us and the example of the crowd that is guided only by what is expedient. But this is precisely the Jewish challenge. “Do not follow after a multitude to do evil,” says the Bible.[iv] “In a place where there are no man, strive thou to be a man,” are the words of Hillel.[v] What to do about being a Jew? Live with a constant concern for mitzvah. Accept the moral discipline of a Jewish conscience.

The second pair of complementary concepts which must remain in Jewish life are those of Klal Yisroel[vi] and Mikdash Yisroel,[vii] the idea of relationship with the total community of the Jewish people and the holy place in which people express themselves, the synagogue. A Jew even though he lives in America of the present time must be emotionally linked with the communities of Jews that exist now throughout the world or have existed in the past or will exist in the future, and he must be mindful that they are bound together by a common spiritual tradition and a mutual responsibility that cuts across space and time.[viii] There are common roots and a common destiny and an historic continuity that tie us together. Meaningful Jewish life in America calls also for a concern with Jewish life elsewhere, whether it be in Israel with its very special importance as a center of Hebrew culture old and new, or whether it be Russian Jewry, with its past glories and its present dangers, or whether it be other smaller groups throughout the world which look particularly to the United States for both material and spiritual comfort.

Last summer there were ten thousand Jews in Washington at the vigil on behalf of Soviet Jewry,[ix] but I'd venture to say there were more than that in Washington about two years ago on the march for civil rights on behalf of Negroes.[x] Jews are, generally speaking, liberals. Demonstrations continue—our tradition and experience move us to recognize a responsibility for our fellowman whoever they may be. But do we not owe our own people at least the same concern?—our people who share with us this tradition out of which our liberalism springs. We have seen in our day six million Jews destroyed. We have seen communities that were eight thousand years in the making wiped out. We see two million Jews in the Soviet orbit in danger of spiritual death. Does this leave us untouched? Has not history imposed upon American Jewry some kind of responsibility for the Jewish future? Have we a moral right to be unconcerned with our fellow Jews elsewhere? The Jews who were in Washington who heard the closing words movingly proclaimed by Theodore Bikel,[xi]Shomer Yisroel, shmor sh’erit Yisroel—Oh Guardian of Israel, guard the remnant of Israel.” The Jews in Washington who heard the sound of the shofar in Lafayette Square across from the White House, who witnessed the kindling of the eternal light, while the ten thousand present cried out in unison, “We shall live in dignity!”—those Jews who experienced this will know how to answer. Those who were there could not fail to be touched and will not forget. I wish only that more of you had permitted yourselves that experience.

And finally the community of Israel must find its expression through the sanctuary of Israel, the synagogue. It was through the synagogue that our heritage has been transmitted in the past in its various capacities as a place of prayer, study, and assembly. And it is only through the synagogue that our heritage can be preserved for the future. There are Jews who are indifferent to the synagogue and others who try to escape it all together, but today in our American environment there is no meaningful identification as a Jew without it. To be aloof from the synagogue is in effect a vote against Jewish survival.

We said at the outset that being Jewish was more than religion and so some may use this thought to refute the necessity of synagogue affiliation for the expression of Jewishness. But though Judaism is more than religion it cannot exclude religion and remain authentically Jewish. Whatever aspects of nationhood Judaism implies and whatever elements of culture are involved, they are, nevertheless, interwoven with religion and cannot justifiably be separated. Even though we may be concerned today about some aspects of synagogue life which deserve criticism it is, nevertheless, true that whatever hope there may be for the survival of Judaism in this country lies in strengthening the synagogue and in improving the quality of Jewish experience to be enjoyed within it. Without the special character which the synagogue imparts to Jewish life all other Jewish interests, be they cultural, ethical, ethnic or political, will be assimilated and will disappear under the impact of American life in general. Being Jewish will become only a faint memory which some Americans will have just as other Americans have of other ethnic origins. The thought of the poet Bialik[xii] is still valid. It is the synagogue which is the spring from which we draw our strength of soul.

What to do, then, about being a Jew in America? Study as a Jew. Act as a Jew. Be emotionally involved with the Jewish people the world over and join actively in the expression of Judaism through the life of the synagogue.

Having said this I may still be asked, "But nevertheless, what are the chances of Jewish survival in America?" To describe what ought to be done is one thing. To bring people to do it is another. Suppose the drift continues and these necessary actions are not pursued. To this I can only answer that I have faith the American Jewish community will not disappear. I would like it to survive in great numbers and great strength, but if not, then I believe the idea that has always played a role in Jewish history will operate, the idea of the remnant. In Isaiah, in biblical times, it is written, she'ar-yashuv[xiii]—a remnant shall return”—and so it has always been. We Jews have often sustained losses in the course of our history in our effort to overcome both the physical and spiritual attack of the environment, but always the remnant at least has returned. The remnant has carried forward the tradition of our people, and carried on the continuity of its history. I have faith that in the present also the remnant shall keep the glory of Judaism alive and the question that each of you must answer for yourself is, "Will you be part of that glorious remnant!"



[i] There is much debate among the rabbis as to the relative importance of study and deeds, and many writings favor study. Ultimately, one may conclude that since the purpose of study is practical application, it would appear that performance of deeds is more important.
[ii] Micah 6:8
[iii] Hillel (ca. 60 B.C.-A.D. ca. 10) was a Jewish scholar and founder of a dynasty of patriarchs who were the spiritual heads of Jewry until the 5th century. A popular anecdote from the Babylonian Talmud: Tractate Shabbat 31a tells of the heathen who asked Hillel to teach him the entire Torah in the time he could stand on one foot. Unperturbed, Hillel answered, "What is hateful to thee, do not do unto your neighbor. This is the whole Torah and the rest is commentary; go and study it further!" This version of the golden rule is believed by many to be a less utopian and more practical precept than the affirmative one to love one's neighbor as oneself (Leviticus 19:18).
[iv] Exodus 23:2
[v] Pirke Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) 2:6, “Hillel used to say: A brutish man dreads not sin; an ignorant man cannot be pious, nor can the diffident man learn, or the impatient man teach. He who engages excessively in business cannot become wise. In a place where there are no men strive you to be a man.”
[vi] Klal Yisroel (Yisrael in modern Hebrew transliteration, lit. "All of Israel") is an expression developed since the 1880s among Orthodox Jews of the Hibbat Zion movement to describe and promote a sense of shared community and destiny among all Jews, in Palestine, in the diaspora, and later in Israel and the USA.
[vii] Exodus 25:8-9 “And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. According to all that I show thee, the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the furniture thereof, even so shall ye make it.” The Mishcan (Tabernacle) was the portable sanctuary that accompanied the Children of Israel in the wilderness. Once they entered and conquered the land of Israel, this Tabernacle was replaced by a permanent structure. This structure was the Mikdash—the Sacred Temple—constructed by King Solomon.
[viii] Reminiscent of Ballon’s sermon An Ethical Will -- 3/26/48 in which he addressed key traits to be a “good Jew.” http://harav-shimon.blogspot.com/2012/04/ethical-will.html
[ix] Jacob Birnbaum (born 1926), the founder of Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry, is regarded to be the father of the Movement to Free Soviet Jewry.   He organized a Jericho Ride to Washington, DC, on May 20, 1965, where he met with a senior Soviet diplomat, and thereafter the students circled the Embassy of the Soviet Union to the sound of shofars, then moved on to the Department of State for a vigorous discussion, and finally arrived in Lafayette Park in front of the White House for a rally addressed by Members of Congress and the reading of an Appeal to Conscience. Note: in December 1987, the American Jewish Committee organized the Freedom Sunday Rally on behalf of Soviet Jewry. 250,000 people attended the D.C. rally, which demanded that the Soviet government allow Jewish emigration from the USSR.
[x] Viz., Blowin’ In the Wind — Rosh Hashanah morning 9/19/63, Ballon’s sermon on the burgeoning civil rights movement,  http://harav-shimon.blogspot.com/2012/08/blowin-in-wind-rosh-hashanah-morning.html
[xi] Theodore Bikel (born 1924) is a Jewish character actor, folk singer and musician.
[xii] Chaim Nahman Bialik (1873 –1934) was a Jewish poet who wrote primarily in Hebrew but also in Yiddish. Bialik was one of the pioneers of modern Hebrew poetry and came to be recognized as Israel's national poet. He wrote:
If you wish to know the fortress
to which your fathers bore their treasure,
their scrolls of Torah, their Holy of Holies….
if you would find the refuge
which kept your people’s mighty spirit safe…
turn to the ancient house of prayer….
Your heart will tell you:
your feet touch the threshold of our house of life,
your eyes behold the storehouse of our soul.

[xiii] Isaiah 7:3 "And God said to Isaiah, Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and She'ar-yashuv your son ("the remainder will return").

August 5, 2012

Blowin’ In the Wind — Rosh Hashanah morning 9/19/63


The following sermon is one of the few from half century ago that I can legitimately say I remember hearing! With the spike in Civil Rights consciousness that grew out of the August 1963 March on Washington[i], Sidney Ballon spoke on the topic a few weeks later on Rosh Hashanah morning. While he was acutely aware of the tempo of his times in all eras, he was hardly a fan of the popular music of the younger generation. So for him to demonstrate that he was not only aware of the voice of Bob Dylan, but also clearly moved by the message, was very memorable for his teenage son. 

As is often the case throughout reading these archives, one cannot help but notice that the language, especially regarding race, was very different in that era. Despite what is now outdated terminology, the sincerity of Rabbi Ballon’s plea for equality among all people is unmistakable.  
How could we possibly retain our integrity as Jews, if we did not become involved in this effort to advance the cause of justice for others today when we have so long pleaded for it and yearned for it so deeply for ourselves in the past?
 
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There are many topics that are fitting for discussion from the pulpit on the sacred occasion of Rosh Hashanah, but it seems to me that on this particular Rosh Hashanah there is one which is inescapable. On this day of judgment when we search our conscience with respect to our moral behavior as individuals, when we pray that all hate and oppression shall vanish from the earth, when we speak of the coming of God's kingdom and the time when all men will be united in brotherhood and peace, surely we cannot help but make mention of the challenge which presently confronts us with regard to the establishment of justice and freedom of opportunity for the Negro citizens of our country. During the past year the effort of the Negro to lift himself up and to acquire in full the human rights to which any citizen in a democratic country is entitled has quickened its pace in spectacular fashion and has developed the full force of a revolution. Whatever our attitude may have been in the past, however much or little attention we may have paid to the problem in previous years, this revolution has gathered momentum. It is a quiet revolution for the most part, but occasionally violence breaks forth and it has its potential dangers. It has spread throughout the nation. It is in our own backyard, and it dare not now be ignored.
Just about three weeks ago there took place in Washington one of the most spectacular public demonstrations in all of history, the March on Washington to petition for freedom and jobs for those of the Negro race and to ask that Congress pass the pending legislation on civil rights. I was happy to be there to participate in it and to witness it, but you hardly need any description of it from me. The newspapers reported it in full and television gave everyone in the nation an opportunity to see what took place, even without taking the trip. This is one of the great occasions when television compensated for the many hours of nonsense with which it normally fills the air.
I doubt very much whether anyone would really have believed or could really have appreciated what took place in Washington on that unique day were it not for the fact that television made it possible for all to see for themselves this magnificent challenge to the conscience of America. There were many who questioned the wisdom and propriety of this March. They were afraid of the possible violence that might result. They thought it was not proper to pressure Congress in this manner. They had visions of a vast unruly throng lingering in Washington and bringing chaos to the nation’s capital. Even many ardent sympathizers with the cause were opposed. It was a great tribute to the earnestness, sincerity, and responsibility of Negro leadership and the understanding of Washington officials that none of the fears were realized. The march took place in peaceful dignity. Congress could look upon it only as a heartfelt petition which every American has a right to submit to his legislators, and the mass of petitioner's went out of the city even as they came in—orderly and quietly except for the songs which spoke their spirit.
Next to the mood of these marchers what was most impressive was their wide variety. This was no protest merely by professional battlers for Negro rights. This was a broad cross-section of the nation. It was thrilling to see the multitude of young people both Negro and white, and this gives us hope for the future. And what I particularly want to call your attention to at this time is the tremendous interest that was shown by the religious groups of our country, on the part of both clergy and the layman—Catholic, Protestant, and Jew. This interest has been somewhat tardy in expressing itself, but at last it has slowly built up great strength. There is great satisfaction in noting that prominent among the religious organizations present was the representation of our own Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC) with its banners in Hebrew as well as in English. And don't take too seriously the report in one of the newspapers of the congressman who said that the fact that there seems to be a lot of clergymen there meant only that there had been a great amount of clerical garb rented by costume supply houses. Even if this were so, collars do not tell the story. The Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) reports that about 75 Reform rabbis alone were present and they did not have any collars.
Why were we there as Jews—not only the UAHC and the CCAR, but the Synagogue Council of America and other organizations? The answer was there to be seen on one of the Hebrew-English placards carried by the Union, which recalled the commandment of the Torah reading, “Ukrawsem Dror Baw-aretz l’chol yoshveha—Ye shall proclaim freedom in the land to all the inhabitants thereof." The commitment of Judaism to racial justice needs hardly to be argued. Judaism was born when our people were fresh out of slavery, and the memory of that experience never faded. It was reflected in the words of Torah, “Tzedek, tzedek, tirdof—Justice, justice shall ye pursue;" in the chastisement of the prophet, “Are ye not as the Ethiopians unto me, O children of Israel, saith the Lord;” in the poetry of the psalmist, "Righteousness and justice are the foundations of God's throne;" in the preaching of the rabbis, "The sword comes into the world because of justice delayed;" in the Jewish version of the Golden rule, "What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow man." This, of course, is only a meager sampling of what Judaism has to say about social justice and the dignity of man, but even if it had no more to say, there is the Jewish experience through history, of oppression in so many times and places that has sensitized us to the wrong that man often does his fellow man, and has made us above all people realize that the security of no man is safe when the security of any man is threatened.
The words of Martin Luther King spoken so magnificently in Washington should serve to remind us as Jews of our own historic involvement in the problem. This reminder was not at all intentional, but when Dr. King spoke of not being satisfied until “justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream,” these were the words of our prophet,[ii] and when he referred to the ghettos of the northern cities that need to be changed, he was of course thinking of Negro ghettos, but this is a term taken from the Jewish experience of segregation in the middle ages. How could we possibly retain our integrity as Jews, if we did not become involved in this effort to advance the cause of justice for others today when we have so long pleaded for it and yearned for it so deeply for ourselves in the past?
It must be admitted that in spite of our tradition and experience, we as Jews have been no different than other religious groups with similar ethical values and have not heretofore done all that might have been done. But today there is a new mood in the land and there are new opportunities to speak up, and we must stand up and be counted. The new mood has come largely because the Negro has increased his own effort. There is truth in the old saying that God helps those who help themselves. Our rabbis expressed this thought all so long ago when they discussed the Exodus from Egypt. The Red Sea parted before the Israelites, they said, only after the Israelites had jumped into the water first.[iii] Today the Negro has jumped into the water, and he has, therefore earned and is obtaining more than ever before the help of others. Today, consequently, our religious groups are confronted by a challenge as never before, to live up to the doctrines which they teach. We are now faced with the acid test of our religious sincerity.
Many wonderful words were spoken in Washington, but perhaps what has been considered by many as the most impressive statement of all was made by Rabbi Joachim Prinz when he spoke of his own experience in Nazi Germany. "The most important thing," he said, "that I learned under those tragic circumstances, is that bigotry and hatred are not the most urgent problem. The most urgent, the most disgraceful, the most shameful, and the most tragic problem is silence." This is indeed something to think about. We who profess to believe in democracy can no longer be silent. We who preach religion can no longer be silent, and we whose heritage is the Torah must now also join the other religious groups in shouting away the silence.
Of course, it is sometimes difficult to know what to shout. It is easy to come out against sin and indicate a general support of the Negro effort to achieve his just rights. But the problem becomes quite complex when we are confronted with a specific issue on a personal and local basis. While there may be agreement in principle with regard to integration and civil rights there may quite possibly be difference in opinion on the question of techniques in obtaining them. There will be issues on which even those who are friends of the Negro will disagree with the Negroes, also moments when Negroes will differ among themselves as presently in Lakeview.[iv] We are faced with a difficult decision when confronted with the proposals to transport children out of their own neighborhood area in order to avoid de facto segregation in schools. We are confronted with a difficult decision when it comes to establishing a quota system for employment or preferential treatment in order to redress some of the past wrongs that have been done to Negro workers. There may be some questioning of sit-ins and boycotts. We as Jews may even be concerned about the anti-Semitism that occasionally shows itself in some parts of the Negro community. I cannot pretend to have the perfect answer to these problems, and even the courts are having difficulty in reaching decisions with regard to some of them. But even though these matters may cause much debate and may have to be worked out over a long period of time, even though the solution may be difficult, and not always to our liking, we must not let the difficulty affect our basic attitudes, and we must not abandon the effort to restore racial justice to our American democracy. The Negro may often seem impatient with the progress being achieved, but we must understand this impatience which has, after all, taken one hundred years to build up. It is difficult sometimes to convince him that our disagreements are not rationalizations of leftover prejudice and intolerance. Nevertheless, we must not be sidetracked from the major goal. We must not permit our support to be embittered. With constructive effort, imaginative thinking, and genuine goodwill the obstacles will be overcome.
It is most important, furthermore, that the religious aspect of this Negro struggle for dignity be encouraged and strengthened. The religious character of the Negro revolt is its most important asset. It is because Negro leadership has couched its appeal in religious terms that it has become so difficult for this nation to shrug it off. It is because Martin Luther King speaks of meeting physical force with soul force that his words are so compelling. A nation which professes to be religious cannot in all good conscience turn away from an appeal to its religious sensitivities. It is also because of its religious basis that the protests have been so peaceful. Violence has been resorted to on the part of those who have opposed the Negro effort, but it is significant how little retaliation there has been even under such a provocation in Alabama.[v] Had there been retaliations, the opposition would have found justification, and chaos would have been the result. In order to avoid chaos and to make it all the more likely that Negro resistance will continue its nonviolent character, it is incumbent upon all religious organizations to encourage and to sustain by their support the spiritual quality of the Negro struggle.
Our own Union of American Hebrew Congregations and the CCAR are very definitely committed to the establishment of full equality for all persons in our nation and the social action commission which is sponsored by both of these organizations jointly has on a number of occasions joined the Jewish and non-Jewish religious groups in making its feelings known. It has now gone a step further and issued a general call to all our congregations and individual members to take a stand based on our religious precepts in this racial crisis. It has made some very definite proposals which our own social action committee will undoubtedly call to the attention of our membership. These include the insistence on a support of nondiscriminating policies in our own Temple administration, the inculcation of respect for all races and creeds in our teaching, cooperation of our congregation with other organizations working for racial justice, the practice of nondiscrimination by individual congregational members in their businesses and personal life, the refusal to deal with people who do discriminate, the active support of legislation which protects civil rights, and even the signing of a pledge to work for conditions of equal opportunity for all persons in every phase of American life. It is highly to be desired that Reform Jews will respond to this call in the prophetic spirit which motivated its founders to create the movement.
There is a folk song that I heard played often on the radio during the summer when there was time to listen. It caught my fancy because it seems to come from the hearts of people who are laden and bewildered. In the form of a song were put some of the basic questions that we must contend with in our day, and implicit in the song was the warning that the answer cannot long be delayed. Let me read some of the more pertinent lines to you. They make a fitting conclusion to what we have just been saying.

How many roads must a man walk down before he's called a man?
How many times must the cannonballs fly before they’re forever banned?
How many years can some people exist before they're allowed to be free?
How many times can a man turn his head and pretend that he just doesn't see?
How many times must a man look up before he can see the sky?
How many ears must one man have before he can hear people cry? 
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind, the answer is blowin' in the wind.[vi]


Yes, all about us the winds of change and crisis are blowing, and within the turbulence an answer is being fashioned to the many questions that disturb us. What kind of an answer will it be? Will it be an answer that brings frustration and destruction as if blown by the wind of the hurricane, or will we have the wisdom to harness the winds so that they will yield an answer that will contribute to the well being and dignity of all men. At every service throughout the year we pray that God grant us peace and that he strengthen the bonds of fellowship and friendship among all the inhabitants of our land. May we, indeed, particularly on this Day of Judgment, resolve that this shall also be the spirit of the answer that we shall wrest from the blowing wind.




[i] The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (or "The Great March on Washington") was one of the largest political rallies for human rights in United States history and called for civil and economic rights for African Americans. It took place in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, August 28, 1963. Martin Luther King, Jr., standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial, delivered his historic "I Have a Dream" speech advocating racial harmony during the march. The march is widely credited with helping to pass the Civil Rights Act (1964) and the Voting Rights Act (1965).
[ii] Amos 5:24 But let justice well up as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.
[iii] Nachshon was, according to the Book of Exodus, the son of Amminadab; descendant in the fifth generation of Judah, brother-in-law of Aaron and an important figure in the Hebrew's Passage of the Red Sea which according to the Jewish Midrash he initiated by walking in head deep until the sea split.
[iv] Lakeview, Long Island, NY is a small predominantly African-American community adjacent to West Hempstead and Malverne, two predominantly white communities in the 1960’s and presently. In 1963, the New York State Education Commissioner responded to complaints by the NAACP and Black parents living in Lakeview that the Malverne School District was racially segregated. He ordered the reorganization of all of the district's elementary schools to insure that they were integrated. The proposed plan assigned different grades to each of the district's three elementary schools and required that children be bused away from their neighborhood schools. Because of the threat of forced busing "white parents started pulling their kids out of public schools and sending them to Catholic or other religious schools. They also protested by electing school board candidates who took their side and voted down school budgets which included money to fund busing.
[v] This is likely to be a reference to the bombing of The Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham which was used as a meeting-place for civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Ralph Abernathy. Tensions became high when the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and the Congress on Racial Equality (CORE) became involved in a campaign to register African American to vote in Birmingham.  On Sunday, September 15, 1963, a white man was seen placing a box under the steps of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. Soon afterwards, at 10.22 a.m., the bomb exploded killing Denise McNair (11), Addie Mae Collins (14), Carole Robertson (14) and Cynthia Wesley (14). The four girls had been attending Sunday school classes at the church. Twenty-three other people were also hurt by the blast. Civil rights activists blamed George Wallace, the Governor of Alabama, for the killings. Only a week before the bombing he had told the New York Times that to stop integration Alabama needed a "few first-class funerals."
[vi] Blowin' in the Wind, written by Bob Dylan in 1962 was released on his album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan in 1963. In 1999, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2004, it was ranked #14 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.