The Temple, Ebenezer Baptist Unite for MLK Day

The Temple’s Senior Rabbi Peter Berg welcomed the congregants and clergy of the Ebenezer Baptist Church to the annual Friday night Shabbat service Jan. 17 that honors the work of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Ebenezer Baptist Church is where King spent his boyhood and adolescence. In his opening remarks, Rabbi Berg reaffirmed the long-standing partnership of the two urban congregations.

“We must continually work for a society,” he said, “that is truly just, truly equal and truly diverse.” He also thanked the church for the support they have offered during what he described as a “difficult year,” with a rising tide of anti-Semitism in America and elsewhere in the world.

“Alone we are strong, but together we are so much stronger. I want to thank our friends at Ebenezer,” he continued, “who have been with us every step of the way.”

Get The AJT Newsletter by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up

In his response, the senior minister of Ebenezer Baptist Church, the Rev. Raphael Warnock, who has participated in 11 of these interfaith services, thanked Rabbi Berg for the deep friendship they enjoy. “He must be my brother” he said with a smile, “from another life.”

Rabbi Peter Berg of the Temple and the Rev. Raphael Warnock of Ebenezer Baptist Church have enjoyed a close working relationship over the past decade.

Both Rev. Warnock and Rabbi Berg are featured in this year’s opening night feature at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. The film, “Shared Legacies: The African-American Jewish Civil Rights Alliance” will have its world premiere Feb. 10 at the Cobb Galleria Center.

The Temple’s Social Justice Institute will feature a film and discussion about the racial inequality in the criminal justice system the preceding afternoon, Feb. 9. The program will feature the recent HBO documentary “True Justice,” about the work of famed Alabama civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson.