Lifting Up Civil Rights Leaders’ Legacy of Hope and Solidarity

The walls of the Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center echoed hope on Friday night, as voices from many faiths and races mingled in the singing of Jewish hymns and African-American spirituals.

There, community leaders for racial justice gathered for an interfaith Shabbat service to honor the shared memory of two civil rights leaders: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel.

“We are celebrating today two spiritual leaders, two friends, two pursuers of justice and solidarity,” said Rabbi Caryn Broitman, in a speech following the lighting of candles that indicates the start of the Jewish Sabbath. Rabbi Heschel, she explained, grew up in Poland during World War II, eventually fleeing the country and losing his family.

“In some ways Martin Luther King and Abraham Joshua Heschel were worlds apart,” Ms. Broitman said. “But they shared a vision and a bond. They marched in Selma together; they spoke against the Vietnam War together.”

It was in their spirit of solidarity and hope that the evening’s service proceeded, including a musical reflection on these men’s lives and legacies. Eric Johnson, Anthony Esposito, Jack Crawford and Roberta Kirn all contributed their musical talents, with Ms. Kirn leading the audience in contemporary Jewish songs and traditional spirituals.