The Kings and Rothschilds: Working Together for Civil Rights with Janice Rothschild Blumberg and Nadine Epstein

Janice Rothschild Blumberg and her husband Rabbi Jacob Rothschild, whose synagogue in Atlanta was bombed by white supremacists in 1958, were close friends with Coretta Scott King and Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, working together championing civil rights.

Janice Rothschild Blumberg and Moment’s editor-in-chief Nadine Epstein are in conversation about Dr. King’s and Rabbi Rothschild’s partnership that brought the Black and Jewish communities of Atlanta together in the pursuit of justice against racism and antisemitism. Rothschild will share personal anecdotes and also talk about her soon to be released book What’s Next?: Southern Dreams, Jewish Deeds and the Challenge of Looking Back while Moving Forward.

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Has the Time for Spiritual Protests Passed?

The tragic death of George Floyd struck a chord with many Americans because it, yet again, placed the reality of racially motivated police brutality so squarely in our sights. The video of Mr. Floyd taking his last breaths disturbed and appalled me because I, like so many black men in America, could see myself in a similar scenario: detained, actively not resisting, and still being treated as a criminal. These stirring images moved me in a way I had not expected. As a political conservative, I tend not to participate in social protests, which, more often than not, are spearheaded by liberal activists. However, understanding the gravity of this past month's events, I felt it was wrong to not join the protests that were taking place near me.   The diverse crowd of protesters, earlier this month,...

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Joachim Prinz and Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. and Jews in the Civil Rights Movement

This weekend we honor civil rights pioneer Martin Luther King, Jr, who helped pave the way for a new era of racial integration in America. But he didn’t do it alone. In honor of MLK Day weekend, enjoy a sampling of our past year of special coverage on Jewish involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, online and in print. When Freedom Summer Came to Town In July/August, Marc Fisher of The Washington Post brought us on a journey back to Hattiesburg, Mississippi in the year of 1964. During that long, hot summer, the Jews of Hattiesburg met their northern cousins on the front lines of the Civil Rights Movement—and the two didn’t always get along. Civil Rights Act Turns 50 Reader David Goldstick recalls his experience defending the Freedom Riders as a young attorney just after the passage of the Civil Rights Act. Reader...

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