by Rabbi Judy Schindler
Book burnings, cross burnings, hangings, lynchings.
Pasts so painful they are hard to face.
Times when human decency,
human dignity were hidden from sight.
Society structured to dehumanize,
Laws passed to limit options, to limit life.
Evil unleashed.
Not all was lost.
The Nazis, the KKK could not
take away our minds,
our longing to learn.
Joint destinies:
Jewish refugee scholars and Black Southern college students,
Shalom Park Jews and Freedom School scholars
Transforming each others’ lives.
Passing through the waters to a better life.
Passing through the waters to a free future.
