President Rivlin was today (Sunday 25 January 2015) welcomed as guest of honor at the Christian Cultural Center (CCC) in Brooklyn, where he was welcomed by Founder and Senior Pastor Reverend Dr. A.R. Bernard, together with leaders of the African-American community, at an event attended by thousands of people from the local community.
Rev. Bernard introduced the President as an uncompromising fighter for civil rights, a Jerusalemite, who understood that, “Only a nation that has survived the Holocaust will know the importance of friends to move forward.” The Reverend thanked the President for joining them and allowing this special meeting, where thousands of members of the African-American community in Brooklyn took part in a festive and joyous reception for the President.
The President was greatly moved by the welcome he received, and said, “It is a great honor for me to be here with you today. Throughout my life, I have witnessed a number of miracles, moments when God knocked on the door of humanity, and of my people. The miracle of the rebirth of my people, Jews who immigrated to Israel from Yemen, Ethiopia, Europe, from the lands of their births, and the establishment of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state; civil rights movement and revolution in the Unites States, the marches of great hope where we heard the words of Martin Luther King Jr, whose daughter is with us today; the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the opening of the gates for millions of Jews. For me, theses revolutions are connected. They all carry the banner of ‘let my people go’.”
The President referred to the words of Rev. Bernard, and said, “Just a week ago, we marked Martin Luther King Day. This week, we are marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This is no coincidence. In your words, Rev. Bernard, ““There are those today, who say the Holocaust never happened. The day will come when some will say the forced transportation and enslavement of 10 million Africans to the Americas never happened. So we must celebrate the past. We must rehearse it in the ears of our children and the world, from generation to generation. So that history does not become myth". It is beholden upon us to remember, to educate, in order for history to have meaning for us, this is the secret to liberation. Fifty years ago, Martin Luther King marched side by side with Rabbi Heschel, in the Selma to Montgomery march for civil rights. A march of which Rabbi Heschel said, “When I marched in Selma, my feet were praying”. Martin Luther King Jr. was killed before he could join in a Passover Seder with Rabbi Heschel, when we celebrate the Exodus of our people to freedom. The question must be asked, why it was so important for Martin Luther King to attend a Seder night, and the answer is that he understood that a person cannot fight for their own liberties, without fighting for the freedoms of others.”
The President stressed the difficulties of the challenges the world faces today. “Today, we are faced with the need to combat terror. We must remember, that Islam is not an enemy, and we have no war with Islam. Our enemy, is hatred, the hatred inherent in fundamentalism. The victims of this hatred are the religious minorities – Christians, Yazidis, and Kurds – and lest we forget, that first and foremost, there have been hundreds of thousands of Muslims slaughtered. In Israel, we are today caring for injured children coming from Syria, regardless that their country does not recognize us. But we do this out of an understanding that what is happening in Syria is a terrible tragedy, to which we cannot remain indifferent.”
The President concluded by expressing hope for the future. He said, “Friends, I also have a dream, that we will once more hear God knocking on the door. I dream, and believe, that Jerusalem, which is a microcosm of the whole world, will serve as an example of coexistence between different religions and communities. Jews and Arabs are not doomed to live together, we are destined to live together. All of us, the children of Abraham, as the words of the prophet Isaiah, “The mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. For from Zion shall go forth the Torah, and the word of God from Jerusalem.”
During his visit, President Rivlin will among other meetings, address the
United Nations special assembly for the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust; hold meetings with UN Sec. Gen. Ban Ki-moon; visit West Point USMA; lay a wreath at the 9-11 memorial; and meet with leaders and members of the Jewish community as well as different faith and minority groups.