500 Words 2018: Entries open today!

Harvey Belovski, rabbi at Golders Green United Synagogue

I know that it’s a big day here with the launch of 500 Words 2018. Congratulations on an amazing initiative and hope it’s the biggest ever! 

Today in the USA is Martin Luther King Day. Rev. Dr Martin Luther King Jn. – the driving force in ending racial segregation – was awarded the 1964 Noble Peace Prize for combatting inequality and hatred. Today is the 89th anniversary of King’s birth and an opportunity to reflect on some remarkable episodes in his life. 

 In 1965, King was a major influence in a series of non-violent marches from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, the state capital. The marchers were protesting discriminatory laws that prevented black people from voting. They garnered support from many segments of American society, including Professor A.J. Heschel, a rabbi, and leading Jewish thinker of 20th century. Heschel – a prolific author and one of my intellectual heroes – marched with Dr King and other activists and there’s an iconic photograph taken at Selma of King, Heschel and other faith leaders wearing garlands of flower marching arm-in-arm. It was dangerous – some participants had been hurt or arrested, but Heschel knew that if he was to carry his community, he needed to lead by example. The marches were a success and President Lindon Johnson pushed through legislation that delivered voting rights to black minorities and triggered the end of segregation. 

Leading by example appears in many Jewish sources. Leaders don’t often admit that they aren’t sure what to do, but they know they must act nonetheless. An ancient Jewish teaching says that the person who becomes leader is not necessarily the one who knows the way, but the one who behaves as if he or she knows it. King, Heschel and their colleagues didn’t just talk about righting an injustice, they instinctively knew when to act. 

Just two years earlier, in 1963, Martin Luther King had delivered his most famous ‘I have a dream’ speech, which galvanised millions. One line really grabbed my attention: 

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence.

This dignified, peaceful approach was a key reason so many people were drawn to Martin Luther King and why nuns, rabbis and ordinary people were willing to stand with him at Selma. And, it is why, almost 50 years after his assassination, he remains an inspiration to so many.