A Personal Remembrance
On March 25, 1967, when I was thirteen, I became a man at my Bar Mitzvah ceremony at Temple Sha’arey Shalom in Springfield, New Jersey. For Jews, this ceremony and reading from The Torah is the passageway to becoming an adult. In fact, my grandparents gave the Temple a gift of a Torah, in honor of this sacred occasion.
As important as that event was in my life, I also got to stand next to America’s most arrested Rabbi, Israel Dressner and who regularly marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the other Freedom Fighters. It was an honor for me to stand with a man who stood with Dr. King. Just a few years later, Dr. King spoke on that same stage to our congregation in 1966.
The man who brought Dr. King to our Temple was my Rabbi.
Sadly, Rabbi Dressner recently passed away at age 92 during this week when we celebrate the life of Dr. King. What poignant and powerful timing that he should pass during this week of remembering.
A Powerful Voice
At 13, I had little interest in religion, politics, and social justice. I was much more fascinated with baseball, guitars, Frank Zappa, and girls – and not necessarily in that order.
But at every service I attended and throughout my Hebrew School classes, I’d hear this booming, powerful and riveting man who would preach about the plight of the oppressed. His voice would rattle the synagogue rafters – and rattle the members too.
The Rabbi took Torah stories and tied them to the current moment and upheaval from the 1960s. He talked about Moses leading the Jews out of the desert while Dr. King led America from the bondage of slavery and Jim Crow.
Dressner shared experiences about marching and being in jail with Dr. King – and he wore it like a badge of honor. He railed against the war in Vietnam and that our country wasn’t doing enough for the poor. Rabbi Dressner was the first social activist I ever met.
I didn’t know what to make of him as a naive child. But somehow, I was inspired by his courage, his strength, and the fearless way he wanted to make the world a better place.
My parents adored this man, even though he pushed them out of their comfort zone.
Eventually, our synagogue pushed him out too. Although I don’t know the whole story, my mother recently shared that she thought some members felt that he “pushed the envelope” too far. He was too loud, too active, and belonged inside the synagogue – not in jail in Mississippi.
Fortunately, my parents felt inspired and deeply in awe of this larger-than-life spiritual leader.
To Repair the World – Tikkun Olam
In Judaism, a critical responsibility is known as Tikkun Olam is to repair the world. Can you leave this world a better place than you found it? Did you stand with the oppressed and feed those in need?
While Dresner was behind bars in 1964, King sent him a telegram, expressing gratitude for his “heroism.”
“It is your valiant act that touches the conscience of Americans of good will,” King wrote to Rabbi Dressner. “Your example is a judgment and an inspiration to each of us.”
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Story of Rabbi Dressner, on NPR
From an interview with Rabbi Dressner on NPR, he said…
“My parents made it clear that I had certain obligations as a Jew,” Dresner told NPR last month. He said he was compelled by the Jewish experience, from being slaves in biblical times in Egypt to the Holocaust, where he says most of his father’s family was killed. He knew all too well, Dresner said, “what hatred can lead to.”
Recently, my family and I read about Rabbi Dressner’s bucket list. His son Avi said that his father had a list of things he wanted to do before dying. Like one more pastrami on rye sandwich from Katz’ delicatessen and pay his last respect at his parents and grandparents graves.
If you are interested to learn more, there is a beautiful obituary on NPR’s website here, and it is filled with more photographs and stories. There is a wonderful photograph of Rabbi Dressner, his son, and President and Mrs. Obama on the 50th anniversary of the march on Washington.
I’ll never forget what Rabbi Dressner said to me on March 25, 1967, as I became an adult in the eyes of my Temple and community.
“Remember your responsibility to find your way, to heal the world. It can take many forms, but you’ll know it is correct because you’ll feel it in your heart.”
Farewell, Rabbi Dressner. Your voice, passion, and commitment to justice still reverberate in my heart.
May your memory be a blessing.
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