Press Release

On January 24, 2010, Jews United For Justice will hold its sixth annual Heschel/King celebration.  This year the honorees will be Mr. Bob Cohn, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus of the St. Louis Jewish Light, and Dr. Donald Suggs, the President and Publisher of the St. Louis American, St. Louis’ largest African-American newspaper.  The event will be held on Sunday, January 24 from 4:00-6:00 at the 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity at Delmar.  The building, now owned by Washington University, was once the home of Shaare Emeth Congregation, and it was Mr. Cohn’s boyhood synagogue.  Both Mr. Cohn and Dr. Suggs have spent their professional careers reaching out to the Jewish and African-American worlds through their respective specialized community newspapers, and both have been active in the cause of civil rights.  The program will include reflections by the honorees, a musical tribute by Rabbi James Stone Goodman, and a desert/wine and cheese reception.  There is no charge for this event.

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. were both religious leaders who believed that working for social justice and peace are necessary components of their respective faiths.  The image of Rabbi Heschel marching with Dr. King for civil rights in Selma, Alabama is iconic within the Jewish community.  Rabbi Heschel and Dr. King also were leaders against the War in Vietnam.  They referred to one another as modern day prophets, and Rabbi Heschel was the rabbi chosen to speak at Dr. King’s funeral.  Both men were born in the month of January.  January is the month that holds the national holiday for Dr. King, and is also often the month of Rabbi Heschel’s Hebrew date yahrzeit.  The members of Jews United For Justice were determined to make a holiday during this time of year in honor of both men and their partnership.  To that end each year JUJ honors an individual from the St. Louis Jewish community and one form the St. Louis African-American community who have worked for social justice and peace in connection to one another.  

Previous recipients have included Rabbi Bernie Lipnick and Sister Antona Ebo (Lipnick was assigned to be Ebo’s ‘protector’ in Selma); Rabbi Jerry Grollman (of blessed memory) and Norman Seay (Grollman - who also hosted Dr. King at his synagogue- held vigil outside the jail cell where Seay - a prominent activist-was being held because of his protests against Jefferson Bank’s discriminatory hiring practices); Bill Kahn and Dr. Henry Givens (Kahn brought racial integration to the JCC, and Givens of Harris-Stowe University meticulously catalogues all of the St. Louis area MLK celebrations, including the one by the Jewish community that Kahn initiated); and Sam Bernstein and Georgia Rusan (Bernstein was active in the War on Poverty in St. Louis City, while Rusan combated poverty in the same era in St. Louis county).  The Heschel/King celebrations have been held in various locations throughout the City that have resonance in St. Louis Jewish history; the historic United Hebrew on Skinker, the historic YMHA on Union, the historic B’nai El on Delmar, and now the Historic Shaare Emeth on Trinity.

We look forward to another wonderful program of remembering the friendship and shared vision of Rabbi Heschel and Dr. King, telling the stories of our own champions of justice and peace, and inspiration for all of us to continue working for tikkun olam, especially with allies in diverse communities.