(Courtesy of YCT) YCT invites the entire community to join a special Zoom event on Sunday evening, January 15, 8-10 p.m., marking the 50th yahrzeit of Rabbi Dr. Abraham Joshua Heschel and coinciding with Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It is sponsored by the family and friends of longtime Teaneck resident Bonnie Laks Berman as they mark her 13th yahrzeit, and is presented in partnership with over 20 synagogues, schools and Jewish organizations throughout North America.

Rabbi Heschel worked tirelessly as a teacher of Torah and activist for social justice causes within and beyond the confines of the Jewish community. His approach was heavily influenced by a deep knowledge and passion for Torah Shebichtav, Torah Sheb’al Peh and the Hasidic teachings of his ancestors. He was a leader in the civil rights movement, famous for his relationship with King. His many written works provide ongoing inspiration for Jews and non-Jews throughout the world.

The event will feature remarks from Rabbi Heschel’s daughter, Professor Susannah Heschel of Dartmouth College, along with a keynote lecture by Rabbi Saul Berman, a cherished friend and colleague of Rabbi Heschel who protested together with him for civil rights in Selma, Alabama in 1965.

The event will also focus on the next 50 years of Rabbi Heschel’s legacy in the United States and Israel, with a panel comprising Rabbanit Yafit Clymer (a board member of Beit Hillel, faculty member of Matan and director of YCT’s Rikmah program for Israeli rabbis and rabbaniyot), Rabbi Ari Hart (rabbi of Skokie Valley Agudath Jacob Synagogue and founder of Solu, a new organization uniting Jews and African Americans in Chicago), and Rabbi Isaiah Rothstein (rabbinic scholar and public affairs adviser at The Jewish Federations of North America).

The event will take place entirely on Zoom and will include live closed captioning and ASL interpretation. It is free and open to the public with prior registration at yctorah.org/heschel