Shared Dreams: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Jewish Community

Schneier, founding rabbi of the Hampton Synagogue on Long Island, wrote this book to foster friendly relations between African-Americans and Jews. Based on interviews and previously unpublished sources, this is a commendable account of the associations Martin Luther King Jr. had with Jews and Jewish organizations. Schneier frankly confronts such issues as African-American anti-Semitism, the left-wing connections of King's important Jewish advisor, Stanley Levison, and the early reluctance of many Southern Jews to endorse the civil rights movement. These kinds of problems were balanced by the vigorous support King received from such Jewish leaders as Morris Abram and Abraham Joshua Heschel, Jewish participation in the historic march from Selma to Montgomery and the assistance King gave to the struggle against Soviet repression of Jews. Perhaps the most troublesome episode in the groups' relationship occurred during the Six-Day War, when King's powerful pacifist convictions and the anti-Zionist harangues of several African-American leaders combined to make him reluctant to advocate favoring Israel. However, he never endorsed anti-Israel attitudes and, in the last speech he made before his 1968 assassination, spoke fondly of his trip to Israel in 1959. Schneier's candid, well-balanced presentation is a significant contribution to African-American/Jewish harmony. (Jan.)