MLK Day Events 2017

The Jewish community has several options for observing the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday, which falls on Monday, Jan. 16, in and around the civil rights leaders’ hometown.

The Temple, which earned a reputation for support of civil rights under Rabbi Jacob Rothschild in the 1950s, continues its tradition of celebrating King’s legacy with his old church, Ebenezer Baptist Church. 

It’s too late to make plans to join the dinner Temple and Ebenezer Baptist members will share at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13, but the Shabbat service at 8 that night is open to all. The Rev. Raphael Warnock, Ebenezer’s senior pastor, is the guest speaker exactly one week before the inauguration of Donald Trump as U.S. president. If you can’t make it to the synagogue at 1589 Peachtree St. in Midtown, you can watch a live stream at the-temple.org.

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Congregation Or Hadash at 7460 Trowbridge Road in Sandy Springs has events taking place all weekend, starting with a special Shabbat service at 6:30 p.m. Friday. The Rev. Jeffrey Ott and the choir from Our Lady of Lourdes Church are participating in the service.

On Saturday night at 7:30, Or Hadash screens the Andrew Young film “Making of Modern Atlanta,” followed by a panel discussion involving Atlanta Chief Operating Officer Dan Gordon, Howard Maziar and Andrea Young.

Our Lady of Lourdes at 25 Boulevard in downtown Atlanta invites the Or Hadash community to Mass at 10 a.m. Sunday.

Back at Or Hadash on Monday, volunteers at 11 a.m. assemble goody bags for the Holocaust survivors who participate in Cafe Europa. Atlanta Daily World Publisher Alexis Scott speaks to those volunteers at 11:40 that morning.

All the events are free; get more information and RSVP at bit.ly/COH13-MLK.

Temple Sinai at 5645 Dupree Drive in Sandy Springs honors King during its Friday night service at 6:30. Doug Shipman, who was the founding CEO of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, delivers the sermon.

After Saturday morning services, the Rev. Gerald Durley, pastor emeritus of Providence Missionary Baptist Church, leads a lunch-and-learn session at 11:30 a.m. The fee for lunch is $8; RSVP at templesinaiatlanta.org.

King Day is sure to play a part in the acoustic Shabbat being held at Crema Expresso Gourmet at 2458 Mount Vernon Road in Dunwoody by the Marcus Jewish Community Center with the Atlanta Jewish Music Festival, Jewish Family & Career Services’ HAMSA program and InterfaithFamily/Atlanta at 7 p.m. Friday. It’s free and open to people of all faiths and levels of observance. Contact Rabbi Brian Glusman at 678-812-4161 or rabbi.glusman@atlantajcc.org for more information.

Young Israel of Toco Hills Rabbi Adam Starr and members of the congregation are visiting the Rosa Parks civil rights museum in Montgomery, Ala., Friday morning with a group heading from the Washington, D.C., area to Selma for a Shabbaton (ostns.org/selma2017). YITH members and the Washington group are going to the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site downtown at noon Sunday. Visit yith.org or contact Rabbi Starr at rabbi.starr@yith.org for details.

Young Israel is staffing the Rebecca’s Tent women’s shelter Monday. To get more information or sign up for a two-hour shift, email Devorah Lowenstein at devorahlowenstein@gmail.com.

The Packaged Good at 5517 Chamblee-Dunwoody Road in Dunwoody, led by Temple Emanu-El member Sally Mundell, also offers a service opportunity on King Day itself, inviting the community to enjoy snacks, hot chocolate and a DJ while helping pack 2,000 care packages for the Community Assistance Center and Homeless at Heart from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Participation is free; visit thepackagedgood.org to get details and sign up.

Ahavath Achim Synagogue members are participating in a Hands On Atlanta service project Monday at Kate’s Club at 600 Means St., Suite 100, in Brookhaven. Volunteers are decorating and packing craft kits for children dealing with the death of a parent or sibling. Contact Lindsey Grossman at lgrossman@aasynagogue.org or visit Hands On Atlanta at www.handsonatlanta.org for more information.

Beyond the Jewish community, the Atlanta History Center offers free admission for a range of programs at its Buckhead center at 130 W. Paces Ferry Road and at the Margaret Mitchell House at 979 Crescent Ave. in Midtown from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday. Visit atlantahistorycenter.com for details.

Highlights throughout the day at the center include screenings of newsreel footage from the March on Washington and King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, as well as a 40-minute simulation of a 1960s Freedom Ride. At the Margaret Mitchell House, Calinda Lee is the featured speaker at noon on the contributions of drum majors for justice.