Service in Great Neck temple where Martin Luther King Jr. once spoke pays tribute to civil rights leader
The Temple Beth-El of Great Neck hosts its annual nondenominational prayer service honoring the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Friday. Credit: Howard Simmoons
On a typical Friday night, Jewish parishioners of Temple Beth-El of Great Neck gather for Shabbat service.
But every January, Rabbi Brian Stoller said the synagogue opens its doors to "the entire peninsula" to host a nondenominational service to honor the "light and lessons" of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who was assassinated in 1968 at the age of 39. The civil rights icon visited the temple in 1967 and delivered a speech in which he denounced inequality, violence on the domestic front and conflict overseas in Vietnam.
Since it was built, the nearly 100-year-old Temple has had a responsibility to be "a leader in community advocacy, social action work and building bridges across lines," Stoller said. "The work we do to bring people together for this community event each year to honor MLK is part and parcel of that history and legacy of this congregation."
Around 150 attendees clapped along Friday evening to inspirational tunes a choir and a live trio of piano, bass guitar and drums played in between community leaders sharing stories of what King’s messages mean to them and their communities.
"It’s always such an invigorating service," Pamela Gould Kipnis, a regular member of the house of worship, said of the annual affair. "I love the diversity, the two groups coming together. The music is always so uplifting, as well as the message ... This is a night of groups coming together who might not otherwise, trying to foster bridges. I really feel that when I come to these."
Every year, the synagogue welcomes a keynote speaker to its event that honors King, a role Gov. Kathy Hochul filled last year and Attorney General Letitia James in 2023.
On Friday, around 150 attendees listened to keynote speaker Frederick K. Brewington, a Lakeview native and Hempstead-based civil rights attorney who has long challenged discriminatory practices that have impacted Long Island’s communities of color.
He led a 12-year legal battle that ended with a U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld the U.S. District Court's ruling that at-large elections discriminated against Black residents.
Brewington noted how just as King lived in tumultuous times, the folks gathered at the Temple were "traveling the seas together, traversing the waves of life that bring us sometimes crashing into each other and other times holding onto each other."
Brewington said "some called [King] a drum major. Others called him a believer in democracy, others referred to him as a dreamer. Some called him an agitator — he wore that proudly — others called him a prophet. Others suggested he was beyond and far ahead of his time.
"Still, I remember him as a noble, and Nobel Peace Prize winner," Brewington continued. "A man who never got a chance to reach his maturity."
On a typical Friday night, Jewish parishioners of Temple Beth-El of Great Neck gather for Shabbat service.
But every January, Rabbi Brian Stoller said the synagogue opens its doors to "the entire peninsula" to host a nondenominational service to honor the "light and lessons" of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who was assassinated in 1968 at the age of 39. The civil rights icon visited the temple in 1967 and delivered a speech in which he denounced inequality, violence on the domestic front and conflict overseas in Vietnam.
Since it was built, the nearly 100-year-old Temple has had a responsibility to be "a leader in community advocacy, social action work and building bridges across lines," Stoller said. "The work we do to bring people together for this community event each year to honor MLK is part and parcel of that history and legacy of this congregation."
Around 150 attendees clapped along Friday evening to inspirational tunes a choir and a live trio of piano, bass guitar and drums played in between community leaders sharing stories of what King’s messages mean to them and their communities.
"It’s always such an invigorating service," Pamela Gould Kipnis, a regular member of the house of worship, said of the annual affair. "I love the diversity, the two groups coming together. The music is always so uplifting, as well as the message ... This is a night of groups coming together who might not otherwise, trying to foster bridges. I really feel that when I come to these."
Every year, the synagogue welcomes a keynote speaker to its event that honors King, a role Gov. Kathy Hochul filled last year and Attorney General Letitia James in 2023.
On Friday, around 150 attendees listened to keynote speaker Frederick K. Brewington, a Lakeview native and Hempstead-based civil rights attorney who has long challenged discriminatory practices that have impacted Long Island’s communities of color.
He led a 12-year legal battle that ended with a U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld the U.S. District Court's ruling that at-large elections discriminated against Black residents.
Brewington noted how just as King lived in tumultuous times, the folks gathered at the Temple were "traveling the seas together, traversing the waves of life that bring us sometimes crashing into each other and other times holding onto each other."
Brewington said "some called [King] a drum major. Others called him a believer in democracy, others referred to him as a dreamer. Some called him an agitator — he wore that proudly — others called him a prophet. Others suggested he was beyond and far ahead of his time.
"Still, I remember him as a noble, and Nobel Peace Prize winner," Brewington continued. "A man who never got a chance to reach his maturity."
Things to do now on LI Rock climbing? Indoor beach volleyball? Water parks? Arts and crafts? NewsdayTV's Elisa DiStefano and Newsday deputy lifestyle editor Meghan Giannotta have your look at ways to spend your winter break.
Things to do now on LI Rock climbing? Indoor beach volleyball? Water parks? Arts and crafts? NewsdayTV's Elisa DiStefano and Newsday deputy lifestyle editor Meghan Giannotta have your look at ways to spend your winter break.
