March 7, 1965.  The first attempt at the Selma to Montgomery March.  55 years ago- and despite the Voting Rights Act that was one of the primary results of this march- we still live in a country that suppresses the votes of minorities and the poor.

Back in 2017, I,  along with 120 of my fellow congregants at The National Synagogue, spent the Martin Luther King weekend of 2017  walking in the shoes of the Reverend Martin Luther King, the Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, Reverend James Reeb, Joanne Bland, and a slew of others.  We saw recreations of Rosa Parks’ abbreviated bus ride.  And, felt the pain of four young children murdered by an American terrorist at the 16^th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham.

Our synagogue made this trip in response to the atrocious political process that was in full swing (with folks like the KKK’er David Duke, the alt-right, etc.), Rav Shmuel Herzfeld suggested we make a statement.  (David Duke specifically attacked our synagogue and Rabbi!)  It was important to teach our children (and remind us adults) what Duke represents, who we are, and who we are not.

In other words, this trip was our collective decision to answer the Supreme Being’s call…  We answered “Hineni“.   Here we are.  We are acting to make this world a much better place.

We all found our own way to Atlanta.   From where we were then bussed to Montgomery (Alabama).  Our stop- the replica bus where Rosa Parks finally had enough, finally refused to give up her seat for a White person.  (The bus we rode in is from that same series, pieced together from various authentic parts, to provide the experience to visitors.)  And, our trip lasted some 75 seconds.  Because we left from the intersection of Water and Molton Streets, just like Rosa did.  Until that White person walked on the bus and the driver demanded Rosa give up her seat- now. Which she refused, some 2 ½ blocks into the trip.

Now, Rosa wasn’t the first one to refuse to give up her seat.  But, her action led to the 13 month Montgomery Bus Boycott. A big event, when you realize that while the Black population in Montgomery was relatively small- but provided 75% of the bus riders.  So, this was a big pocketbook issue for the bus company.   (While many of the protesters walked, but others arranged for joint car trips- all of which were deemed illegal by the locals, which led to further problems.)

Did you ever wonder why all of the Civil Rights struggles revolved about church activities.  (My yeshiva education had made it clear that it was dead wrong to enter a church.  Not because of anti-religious fervor, but because what most of you call statues we know to be the idols, about which we were warned to avoid.)

Here’s the basic fact.   Especially in the South, most Black residents had no access to meeting houses, couldn’t rent movie theaters (which generally barred them from even buying a ticket for a movie), etc.  So, folks used what they had- churches.  And, most of the action- the nuts and bolts work- was done by the women of the community.  So, it’s not surprising that folks like Joanne Bland (our guide in Selma) earned her stripes (not including her US Army kind) from her mom and grandma- in church.

Besides taking us around, Joanne shared some simple facts with us.  She reminded us she knew about freedom at an early age- especially the fact that Lincoln freed the slaves.  (Actually, at the time of the Emancipation Proclamation, the South had seceded.  So, technically, none of the slaves- who clearly resided in the Confederate States-  were freed.) But, she also knew she couldn’t enter the Carter Drug Store and have a pop.  Because “her kind” wasn’t allowed.  She understood, while looking through Carter’s plate glass window, that she would never be “free” until she could enjoy a meal or a pop at that counter.

She also reminded us that every single one of us is a critical piece in the greater picture.  We are simply jigsaw pieces that help complete the whole view.

The problem is that things haven’t really changed in America.  The Voting Act protections have been gutted.  There’s been the March on Charlottesville, rampages by anti-Semites on synagogues and Jewish folks walking on the streets, nooses posted in schools and universities.  And, while it passed a century too late, by a vote of 410-4, HR-35- the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching law was opposed by folks like  Louie Gohmert (R-TX).

The struggle for dignity and equal rights still continues.

55 years and still the same.

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