A rabbi joined civil rights and political leaders in marking the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination.
“King found a special symbolism in Jewish history, a kinship with the Jewish people, and during his life there was no segment of American society that provided as much and as consistent support to the black community as did the Jewish community,” Rabbi Marc Schneier said April 4 at the commemoration in Memphis, where King was shot dead in 1968. “From Selma to the freedom riders, Jewish Americans marched, fought, and died alongside their African American brethren for years.”
Schneier is president and founder of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, a group that promotes interethnic harmony, and is the author of “Shared Dreams,” a book documenting Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s relationship with the Jewish community.
He joined civil rights luminaries Benjamin Hooks and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), King’s children and political leaders, including Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), a hopeful for the Democratic presidential nomination.
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