I was deeply honored and privileged to join thousands of people this week at the Martin Luther King Day of Service organized by the organization Global Citizen and held at Girard College in Philadelphia.
While the day’s theme was a celebration of the timeless value of Justice, I was reminded of the following words that Dr. King voiced in 1968 at the annual convention of the Rabbinical Assembly, as relevant today as they were back then:
"Peace for Israel means security, and we must stand with all our might to protect her right to exist, its territorial integrity... Israel is one of the great outposts of democracy in the world, and a marvelous example of what can be done, how desert land can be transformed into an oasis of brotherhood and democracy. Peace for Israel means security, and that security must be a reality."
To me, the legacy of Martin Luther King lies in the values of freedom, justice and equality that he practiced, preached and imparted to all of us.
By strengthening our commitment to those values, Dr. King did America – and humanity– a great service. He transformed the way we approach and talk to one another, and enriched and strengthened our moral genetic code.
Israel, "one of the greatest outposts of democracy in the world," is proud to be a beacon of hope for the values of human dignity which Dr. King espoused and championed.