The Promised Land
by: Nathan Weissler

"…I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the Promised Land." These words were spoken by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in what would be his final speech--the evening before his 1968 assassination. King's language is remarkably similar to that of the biblical Moses. Indeed, King was viewed by many in the modern American Civil Rights Movement as Moses leading his people to the Promised Land. As part of this effort, King worked closely with the Jewish Community.

A famous photograph from the Civil Rights era is that of Dr. King and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel marching side by side in Alabama in 1965. Indeed, King and Heschel's friendship is legendary. In March 1968, shortly before his assassination, at the invitation of Rabbi Heschel, Dr. King addressed the annual convention of Conservative rabbis. The rabbis even sung We Shall Overcome in Hebrew. Additionally, Dr. King was planning on attending a Passover Seder with Rabbi Heschel's family in 1968 but was assassinated shortly before Passover that year.

Other Jewish friends of Dr. King included Stanley Levison who managed the New York offices of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) of which Dr. King was President. Another Jewish friend was Rabbi Israel Dresner who participated in the Freedom Rides of 1961 and got arrested in Tallahassee, Florida, along with three other rabbis. In response to accusations that he was an outsider interfering in Southern life, referring to the Holocaust, Rabbi Dresner responded, "Yet had someone--an outsider--interfered, there would not be six million dead." The rabbi added that, "…what is happening in the South is…evil within the American and Judaic tradition." Dr. King was also friends with Rabbi Maurice Eisendrath who served as President of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC) in addition to Jewish attorneys Harry Wachtel, Morris Abram and Jack Greenberg.

Another Jewish friend was Atlanta Rabbi Jacob M. Rothschild. Rabbi Rothschild was an outspoken advocate for civil rights. Indeed, on Yom Kippur in 1948, he condemned the “growing race hatred that threatens the South.” In October 1958, Rabbi Rothschild’s Atlanta synagogue was bombed. Shortly thereafter, a Christian minister declared, “It is a sin to destroy a house of God. It makes no difference that the members of this house are Jewish.”

Dr. King also advocated for Jewish rights in the Soviet Union. In defence of his position, King said, "We in the civil rights movement have repeatedly made clear our commitment to the freedom of all men regardless of color, race, or creed. In light of this principle we deplore anti-Semitism as we deplore discrimination and segregation in Mississippi and Alabama."

Dr. King also frequently expressed admiration for the modern State of Israel. He stated during the Israeli-Egyptian War of 1956, "There is something in the very nature of the universe which is on the side of Israel in its struggle with every Egypt." Finally, we should all understand a quote from one of Dr. King's last speeches, "Anti-Semitism is as vile and contemptible as racism. Anyone who supports it, including African-Americans, does a disservice to his people, his country and his God." Indeed, MLK not only appreciated but made his life’s work what Judaism calls b’tzelem elokhim (“all people are created in the image of God.) Thus it is part of our responsibility as Jews and citizens to continue Dr. King’s struggle as part of our struggle for Tikkun Olam (“Healing the World.”) May the dream continue!

For more information, read a letter Dr. King wrote on the issue of anti-Semitism in his day: Here