If Not Now When: an MLK Day Event

“If not now, when?” These are the words of the great sage Hillel.

First, Hillel asks us to define ourselves: If I’m not for myself, who is for me? And yet, if we are only for ourselves, who are we?

In this complicated world filled with division and differences, Martin Luther King Jr. Day offers a time of unity, togetherness and love. The life of Dr. King is a stark reminder that the only way forward is through dialogue and friendship.

In the model of the historic friendship between Dr. King and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, Sinai Temple is proud to bring together the Black and Jewish community each year. Sinai Temple Max Webb Senior Rabbi David Wolpe explains, “We celebrate the legacy of MLK with amazing talent in song, in story, in poetry and in prayer.”

For the last many years, the Shabbat preceding this sacred day, Sinai Temple presented UNITY Shabbat. The sanctuaries and halls were filled with praise, embrace, conversation and love.

While the pandemic has created challenges for gathering, the miracle of technology has also provided an opportunity of blessing. This year, we WILL gather, we WILL celebrate, and we WILL come together again in a virtual UNITY service, entitled, “If Not Now; a multicultural, interfaith tribute to Martin Luther King.” The event will occur Monday, January 18, at 4:00 pm PST/7:00 pm EST.

Removed from the Shabbat experience, Sinai Temple invites all faiths and all denominations, from west to east and beyond, to join in this celebration of spirit.

With the help of the generosity of Judy and Tom Flesh, Brenda and Harold Feit, the Jewish Community Foundation and The Pico Union Project, Craig Taubman has once again produced a service with the highest caliber of music and orators.

As Craig Taubman says, “For over 50 years we have celebrated the prophetic message of Martin Luther King. There comes a time to bring meaning to the words with action. If not now, when… and if not us, who?”

This past June, during the Los Angeles protest and riots following the death of George Floyd, my good friend, Pastor John Paul Foster of Faithful Central Bible Church, reiterated the powerful sermon he delivered in March. It was called, “Who Is My Neighbor?” It asks this simple question: Do you know who lives next door? And if you do not know this answer, then you must begin to knock on your neighbor’s door, to learn from the light they have for us in the dark, to speak together, to sing together and ultimately, to live together. Pastor Foster frequently preaches the words of Dr. King, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice anywhere.”

This evening “If Not Now” will be a living testament to Hillel, to Dr. King, to Rabbi Heschel and to each of us that we must not refrain from the work to be done. And yet, we will also witness friendship, harmony, unity and hope.

Featuring Pastors, Rabbis, activists, musicians and artists from around the United States, including David Broza, Peter Yarrow, and The Soul Children of Chicago, this UNITY program will propel each of us to acknowledge Hillel’s answer. NOW. The time to come together is NOW. For if not now…when?

**You can watch this program at streaming.sinaitemple.org or http://www.youtube.com/sinaitemplepresents

Rabbi Erez Sherman is a rabbi at Sinai Temple.