American Jews Mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day With Tributes to Late Civil Rights Leader
Algemeiner Staff
The Martin Luther King Jr. memorial in Washington, DC. Photo: Reuters / Allison Shelley.
American Jewish groups on Monday paid their customary tributes to the most beloved leader in the US civil rights movement’s history, as the country marked Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a national holiday.
An Atlanta, GA-born Baptist minister, Dr. King emerged as a civil rights leader in the 1950s, as he brought international attention to the segregation and discrimination targeting African Americans across the “Jim Crow” south. King was assassinated in Memphis in 1968 by a white supremacist.
Throughout his career, King worked closely with Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and other Jewish leaders to secure the civil rights of black people in America.
Monday’s tweets from Jewish organizations all paid tribute to King’s legacy. Israeli diplomats in the US also expressed their admiration for his achievements and continuing influence.
IsraelActionNetwork✔@IsraelActionNet
Dr. King inspired a generation and helped transform a nation. Here at IAN, we like to think we carry a little bit of his sprit in our work – whether that’s bringing #Jewish people and African Americans together or Jewish Israelis and Palestinians. #MLK
✔@IsraelinMiami
On what would have been his 90th birthday, we honor the legacy of civil rights pioneer and devoted friend of Israel Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.