A California rabbi claimed his invitation to lead the closing prayer at a Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration was pulled because of his ties to Israel.
Rabbi Hanan Leberman, of Tifereth Israel Synagogue in in San Diego, posted a revealing letter on Instagram to organizers of the All Peoples Celebration in Balboa Park, claiming they disinvited him from the event.
He said his message “is deeply aligned with the Reverend Dr. King’s teachings, regardless of how I may be perceived by others.”
“When I agreed to participate in this event, I did so fully aware that I would be sharing a stage with individuals whose politics and ideas I do not always share.” the rabbi wrote. “That, to me, is precisely the work Dr. King called us to do: sharing space with those with whom we disagree, seeking common ground, and recommitting ourselves to the dream that all people are treated equally.”
It’s unclear who was responsible for dropping Leberman from the event or when the decision was made. Calls to event organizer Alliance San Diego by The Post weren’t immediately returned.
Alliance San Diego describes itself as “a community organization whose mission is to build collective power to create an inclusive democracy where everyone can participate fully with dignity.”
The keynote speaker at the event is B.A. Parker, co-host of “Code Switch,” NPR’s flagship podcast and radio show on race and identity. The theme of the celebration is “Choose Courage.”
At least one of the group’s leaders called for unity of all people just days before the MLK celebration.
“Now more than ever, our voices must rise above hesitation. We must claim our dignity and echo the truth that any attack on one, is an attack on us all.” Miesha Rice, the advancement director of Alliance San Diego, told KPBS.
