Coretta Scott King, widow of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., told a gathering of Conservative rabbis and Black leaders here Monday night that she saw “a bright future for Blacks working with Jews in America, despite what tensions might arise from time to time.”
The gathering at Ebenezer Baptist Church, part of the 87th annual convention of the Rabbinical Assembly, also heard calls for a revival of the Black-Jewish coalition which battled for civil rights under the leadership of Dr. King more than 20 years ago.
Coretta Scott King acknowledged differences which have arisen since then between Jews and Blacks. “We disagree on affirmative action and Israel’s policy toward South Africa,” she said. She added, however, that Israel’s recent decision to halt arms shipments to South Africa was a “step in the right direction.”
“I will always champion the right for Israel to exist and live in peace. I see Israel as a great outpost for democracy,” Mrs. King said. “We can agree to disagree by talking together and understanding each other’s position … Even on the question of affirmative action, our goals are employment opportunities and ample education for all Americans,” she said.
PROPOSES A NEW ‘COALITION OF CONSCIENCE’
Rabbi Jordan Ofseyer, of Dallas, who shared the platform with King and with Mayor Andrew Young of Atlanta, called for a new “Coalition of Conscience” in which Blacks and Jews would join together to fight such major concerns of the day as drug abuse, alcoholism, teen-age pregnancy, AIDS, poverty and homelessness.
“Let us carry on the dream of Dr. King so that we Jews who brought our brethren, Black Jews out of privation and suffering in Ethiopia, to freedom and dignity in Israel, will join hands with all of Black America so that together in a new alliance we can address the agenda confronting our modern society,” Ofseyer said.
He proposed the initiation of a bilateral coalition between the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, founded by Dr. King, and the Rabbinical Assembly as a first step. He urged that the rebuilding and restoration of the Black-Jewish coalition should move forward by developing a mutual agreement on agenda priorities, establishing working groups dealing with specific problems, and reaching out to other Black and Jewish organizations both nationally and locally.
A resolution introduced at the Rabbinical Assembly convention proposes the immediate initiation of a grassroots activist outreach program between the Conservative synagogues and their members in the U.S. and Canada and Black churches. The proposed program includes guest exchanges between pulpit rabbis and ministers of Black churches, exchange visits between churches and synagogues for youths and adults, Black-Jewish model seders emphasizing themes of freedom, pluralism, anti-discrimination and concerned action against prejudice, and work in coalitions whenever possible for shared legislation.
In a demonstration of cooperation on common issues, King and other Black leaders joined with rabbis in an indoor rally on behalf of Soviet Jews. Afterward, the overflow crowd at the Ebenezer Baptist Church sang “We Shall Overcome” in Hebrew and about 100 rabbis held a brief memorial service at Dr. King’s gravesite.
The Rabbinical Assembly, which represents 850 synagogues and 1.5 million members in the U.S. and Canada, is holding its convention through Thursday at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.
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