Temple Israel of Lawrence is hosting their 24th annual Greater Long Island and American Jewish community Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. commemoration Shabbat service.
The multi-access service will feature a keynote address from Pastor Marc Beavers of Harvest of the Atlantic – The Soul-Stirring Church of God in Christ in Island Park, on Jan. 16 at 7 p.m.
“The relationship between the Jewish community and the African American Christian faith community is longstanding and built over time through six generations of Temple Israel,” said Rabbi Galina Makaveyev, of Temple Israel of Lawrence.
Makaveyev said the goal is to support and uplift each other by building coalitions of hope and solidarity in order to combat hate and all forms of bigotry in society.
“The Shabbat service offers an opportunity to reflect and reignite our moral calling,” Makaveyev said. “As we come together to celebrate the spirit of peace, unity and a shared purpose embracing goodness, kindness and gratitude.”
As a temple tradition, she said it is deeply meaningful and inspiring to witness congregations coming together in this holy work.
This service is a thought on Makaveyev’s mind throughout the year as she thinks about whom the temple would benefit from hearing and collaborating with. This is her second year as Rabbi and seeing her own vision to fruition.
“My vision is to bring someone who is relevant to this moment to speak and to help our congregants to understand better the message of Dr. Martin Luther King,” she added.
Beavers is in his 21st year as a Pastor and commends his upbringing in Long Beach for his passion for strengthening the fabric of humanity. He is looking forward to spreading the spirit of unity at the joint service.
“I love to be in the context of diverse populations,” Beavers said. “It’s my natural habitat and to see people in a cross-cultural context is very rewarding to me.”
In his speech, Beavers will be talking about the life and history of Dr. King and how he is connected with his legacy through his church.
“King’s last speech was delivered at our church headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee,” he said. “He delivered his mountain top address from the pulpit of the Church of God in Christ, in which I’m a Pastor.”
He said growing up in Long Beach, he went to school with a lot of Jewish students, attended a Jewish camp and created strong ties to the Jewish community.
“You throw me in an environment with the Jewish community 50 years later and I feel right at home,” Beavers said. “I’m honored that the temple and these two communities can come together for a common cause.”
Along with the annual service, Temple Israel is joining in on the Marion & Aaron Gural JCC’s eighth annual UJA funded MLK day of service on Jan. 18.
The JCC is hosting a community-wide food drive in honor of MLK day, where they are collecting cereal, pasta, pasta sauce, wacky mac, soup, rice pilaf/quinoa, canned beans, pancake mix, canned tuna/salmon and brownie/cake mix.
“Our theme is ‘Five Towns fights food insecurity’,” said Laurie Brofsky, volunteer services manager at the JCC. “We have collection boxes at schools, local businesses and synagogues.”
All the donated food will be sent to their Grove Avenue office and volunteers will be sorting/organizing to bring the items over to the S.H.O.P. (Sustenance Hope Opportunities Place).
“We’re very fortunate that there are so many people in our community that value chesed (community service) and giving back to our community,” Brofsky said.
