Intro by Hannah Goldstein
Traveling to Georgia and Alabama with groups from Temple Sinai has been among the most impactful experiences I’ve had during my time in this community. First with a group of teens, and then with a group of (mostly) adults, we learned about the civil rights history of Montgomery, Selma, Birmingham and Atlanta in the places where it happened. This winter, Cantor Croen and I will be bringing another group and we hope that you’ll join us. For this month’s featured Davis Center Blog post, we wanted to share some reflections from participants on our 2017 trip. We hope this inspires you to learn more about our February trip, and to join us on the bus! Sign up before October 15 to save $100 off the total cost.
Reflections by Nancy Liebermann and Joe Godles:
Imagine a trip on which you get to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. Speak with someone who was beaten during the march there. Spend time in the Birmingham park where Bull Connor’s police force confronted demonstrators with fire hoses and dogs. Be led through the park by a minister who was a civil rights leader at the time and who drove Martin Luther King to the airport on his fateful final trip to Memphis. Have the chance to interact at a Shabbat service with White Southern Jews who were willing to confront their own racism.
The Civil Rights Trek was about living history. We literally walked in the footsteps of those who were part of the civil rights movement. During three action-packed, thought-provoking days, we explored the civil rights movement and the role of the Jewish community in this ongoing struggle.
One of the personal, haunting stories that still sticks with me (Nancy) 5 years later was told by one of our guides—she was a little Black girl in the 60’s—who went into a White-owned general store with her grandmother, and touched a pair of new, shiny shoes—something irresistible to any child. Even though they weren’t her size, were not in their budget and they hadn’t planned on shoe shopping that day, her grandma knew she had to buy the shoes to avoid trouble with the owner.
The Civil Rights Trek was our first Temple Sinai trip. What a great way to make new friends and build community. The diversity in ages (from 12 to 88), knowledge and experience enhanced the trip immensely. If we were to sum up the trip in one word, it would be “authenticity” – in the people we met, the places we visited and even the food we ate. If you are considering going, don’t hesitate!
From Cathy Klion:
The Civil Rights trip was one of the best Temple Sinai experiences I have ever had. Hannah and our tour leader Billy guided us through a variety of civil rights and Jewish landmarks and provided wisdom, perspective, and Jewish context. The trip was well organized and we saw an enormous amount in a short time. The intergenerational group quickly became another Temple Sinai community for me. Although I had thought I was fairly knowledgeable about civil rights history, it was eye-opening to actually be in the places I had only read and heard about. The trip strikingly showed me how the past continues to inform the present and made me think hard about what I can do to fight injustice, particularly now.
