MLK Today

We’ve all studied Martin Luther King Jr. before. His Letter from Birmingham Jail is a classic component of Civil Rights units in U.S. History classes. We’re all aware of the powerful impact he had on our nation during the Civil Rights Movement. But our acknowledgement of him does not need to be restricted to the history books. MLK’s Letter is a text that can and should remain influential in today’s political scene. The ideologies behind this piece can easily be reapplied to today’s political and cultural movements that advocate for change. The following is just one of the many potentially applicable movements for the teachings of MLK.

Fun Fact: Did you know that MLK worked with many prominent members of the US Jewish community throughout the Civil Rights Movement?
Image from here.

Women of the Wall is an organization run by and for Jewish Israeli women. Their main goal is to protest for equal rights for women, specifically in the context of prayer. Israel’s Western Wall is an infamous and historically significant prayer site for people around the world. However, women are legally prohibited to wear religious garments at the Wall, as well as forbidden from holding or reading the Torah at the Wall. In a modern, democratic society, this legislation frustrates men and women alike around Israel and the rest of the world. I heard the group’s leader, Anat Hoffman, speak at my own synagogue a few years ago, and though I didn’t make the connection then, I certainly saw many connections reading MLK again for PS101.

A hidden photo of the women's portion of the Wall
Image from here.

Just as MLK writes, “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” Many men have joined Women of the Wall to demonstrate solidarity and support for equal rights for Israeli women. These men are a perfect example of people who understand what MLK was saying; just because they have the right to do it does not mean they cannot fight against the injustice that restricts their wives, sisters, and daughters.

MLK also writes, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” This relatively confined restriction of the rights of women threatens all other equal rights of women in Israeli society. If the government is able to justify this injustice, who is to say that they cannot expand sexist legislation to other sectors of Israeli society, like the workplace?

Women of the Wall channels MLK’s innovative and unexpected nonviolent tactics to challenge and bring attention to injustice. As he writes, movements like these “see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood.” The Women of the Wall’s main action is to hold a “sit-in” of their own at the Wall regularly. Women wear traditional Jewish prayer garb, such as the tallit, or prayer shawl, and kippot, or a small cloth cap. They carry and read aloud from the Torah at the Wall. They refrain from any violent acts, and yet, attract widespread international attention for their courage and resolve.

Traditional prayer shawl, or tallit, worn when praying.
Image from here.

MLK writes, “One who breaks an unjust law must do it openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty. An individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and willingly accepts the penalty by staying in jail to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the very highest respect for law.” Several members of the Women of the Wall have in fact been arrested for breaking the law. Anat Hoffman, the leader of the Women of the Wall, has been arrested on multiple occasions. She has been threatened to be charged with a felony, and has been issued restraining orders in the past.

But, the women (and their male supporters) never resort to violence or retaliation. MLK would be so proud to hear Anat Hoffman describe one of her encounters with the police. 

She says, “This time they checked me naked, completely, without my underwear. They dragged me on the floor 15 meters; my arms are bruised. They put me in a cell without a bed, with three other prisoners, including a prostitute and a car thief. They threw the food through a little window in the door. I laid on the floor covered with my tallit. I’m a tough cookie, but I was just so miserable. And for what? I was with the Hadassah women saying Sh’ma Yisrael.” The Sh’ma Yisrael is a prayer that states “"Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord." Not exactly a message that is against a generally accepted belief in Israel.

Women praying in the women's section at the Wall. Look pretty threatening, huh?
Image from here.

Finally, MLK writes, “I have been so greatly disappointed with the white church and its leadership. Of course, there are some notable exceptions, [but] I felt that the white ministers, priests and rabbis of the South would be some of our strongest allies. Instead, some have been outright opponents, refusing to understand the freedom movement and misrepresenting its leaders; all too many others have been more cautious than courageous and have remained silent.” I would argue that this pertains perfectly to the Women of the Wall, except in reference to synagogues, rather than churches. Many congregations in Israel either encourage the police and the government to crack down harder on these women who are violating the laws, or they remain silent in an attempt to remain removed from controversy. MLK would certainly be frustrated with the lack of support given by congregations throughout Israel, much as he was with churches during the Civil Rights movement.

I encourage you to follow the Women of the Wall and their cause. You can like them on Facebook here. Most recently, six women were detained for wearing prayer shawls on November 15. Hopefully one day, their story will be just as successful as MLK’s and the Civil Rights movement.