Dear JCOGS Family,
At some point in life, each of us encounters an experience that changes us forever—moments that reweave the very fabric of who we are. This journey has been one of those transformative times… in truth, a series of such intense moments.
This Southern US Civil Rights Interfaith Trip has carried us through some of the most powerful landmarks of the Civil Rights Movement—places of both deep pain and enduring hope. In Birmingham, Lisa McNair, sister of Denise McNair—one of the four girls killed in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing—shared her family’s story of loss and forgiveness. At Kelly Ingram Park, we walked among sculptures of children blasted by firehoses during the 1963 Children’s Crusade. In Montgomery’s Holt Street Baptist Church, we heard recordings of Dr. King’s first great address at the start of the bus boycott and learned how “urban renewal” devastated thriving Black neighbourhoods. At the Legacy Museum and The National Memorial for Peace and Justice we bore witness to the horrific stories of systemic slavery, lynchings, and incarceration, chanting the words of the Kaddish in their memories. In Selma, we sat at the feet of activist Jo Anne Bland in her home and listened to her memories of Bloody Sunday and the march to Montgomery. At sunset, we crossed the historic Edmund Pettus Bridge, my son Adar and I wrapping my father’s tallit over our heads as we marched, and then joining together with Pastor Dan Haugh of the Stowe Community Church, arm-in-arm. Rev. Barbara Miller chanted the words of Psalm 91 and Rev. Becca Girrell of the United Community Church of Morrisville called us to see ourselves in the faces of those who seek justice. You can see more pictures and read about our daily accounts here: Day #1, Day #2, Day #3.
Through it all, the human connections have been profound—new and longtime faith friends embracing, weeping, and holding one another as we face this history, at once heartbreaking and inspiring.
But perhaps the most moving of this journey is the inclusion of our JCOGS teenagers shepherded by their incredible guide Amy Rosenthal, along with one Christian teen traveling with her father. They have been the epitome of mentsches, everyone kvelling with pride with their kindness and brilliance. So as we sit on the bus, on our way to Atlanta for Shabbat at The Temple and Sunday’s worship services at Ebenezer Baptist Church (Dr. King’s church), I want to leave you with our teens’ reflections:
Nora: “We were all holding hands in a circle and singing ‘We Shall Overcome’ and there was a woman watching us. We held our hands out to her, and she chose to join our circle and we all sang together.”
Donley: “At the Voting Rights Movement memorial, when I looked into the face of Jimmie Lee Jackson, who was shot while defending his grandfather and mother from a police mob, I could not stop thinking of my own family and how much I love them. I want to carry on the legacy of love left by the people who cared so much about creating a better world.”
Ava: “We were in Foot Soldiers Park, standing on the concrete, facing the beautiful murals, and our tour guide Barbara was telling us about how the young people are the ones who will make change. And then we got to hear first hand from activist Jo Anne Bland and it was so inspiring.”
Jo: “Walking across the Edmund Pettus bridge, I looked out at the beautiful sunset and thought about all the different physical and political landscapes and experiences this bridge has seen over the years.”
Fiona: “At the lynching museum, I walked beneath the testament to their lives hanging in iron coffins above my head and I felt like I was going to pass out. The weight of complete injustice hangs so heavily upon the past and present.”
Adar: “Yesterday our whole group had the privilege to march over the Edmund Pettus Bridge together. For me, this was very emotional. While walking over, I thought about all of the history that happened on that bridge. Walking with my dad and Pastor Dan made me think about the connection between different faith groups during the march in 1965.”
Adella: “Moving, inspiring, and heartbreaking are just three words I would use to describe my experience with Jo Anne. The strength she had in her heart to brave the violence, the hardships, the hurting to reach the impact she made not only on the unjust policies in the south, but on my heart is remarkable, and I could only hope that my generation and the generations to come have that same bravery and perseverance in the face of injustice.”
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi David
