Track 2- Cain and Able
Am I my brother's keeper?
Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday, January 15th
The Spirit of the Prophet (Heschel and King)
Heschel and King: A holy friendship
This month we celebrate the birthday of civil rights leader Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. King dedicated his life to fighting for justice, and preached peace in a time of war. He was also friends with one of the great modern Jewish scholars, Abraham Joshua Heschel. The two men influenced each other's ideas and positions, and their friendship became a symbol of unity among African Americans and Jews. To learn more, read this article by Susanna Heschel about her father and King, and watch this poem by Bible Raps' own education director, Eliana Light, about growing up Jewish in the south, civil rights, and the Reverend and Rabbi.
Marching for Rights
In Selma, Alabama
Marching for Peace
At an anti-Vietnam rally at Arlington Cemetery
Marching for Understanding
At the convention of the Rabbinical Assembly , 1968
Freedom Riders:
Of course not all Jews fought for Civil Rights, but even so, most of the whites involved in the movement were Jewish. For example, during Freedom Summer in 1964, hundreds of northerners, blacks and whites, including many Jews, bussed in to the south to fight for voting registration and other rights. Why do you think so many Jews were involved?
The Freedom Riders History
We are inevitably our brother's keeper because we are our brother's brother. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. -Martin Luther King, Jr.
Cain and Abel: Am I My Brother's Keeper?
Something to think about:
In the story of Cain and Abel, "Am I my brother's keeper?" is asked. Maybe as an excuse, but maybe also as a sincere question. Through our actions every day, we answer that question. By dedicating their lives to promoting justice and equality, Heschel and King answered "Yes!" How will you answer this question? How can you answer "Yes?"
Activity:
Use Hillel's comment as inspiration to think about what it means to be our brother's keeper. Take each line and write two bars from it, and then connect it to Cain and Abel. What does each line mean? Which do you connect to the most? What does this have to with the story? Send it in and be a part of this month's Bible Raps CoLab! (collaborative rap song)
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