The annual Martin Luther King breakfast at Congregation Beth Elohim in Acton is reported in a separate article in this issue, by Alissa Nicol. In this article, Matthew Liebman gives more details of the lessons shared by invited speaker Colette Phillips and Rabbi David at the event.
In her speech at the 2025 Annual Martin Luther King Breakfast at Congregation Beth Elohim (CBE), Colette Phillips described how important it is to reaffirm the Black and Jewish community connection – a connection filled with courage and reciprocity. Historically Black Colleges and Universities welcomed Jewish academics when they were shunned by other institutions, and Jews helped found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (now known as the NAACP). But Phillips is saddened by the fraying of these relationships since October 7, 2023, when Palestinian militant groups launched coordinated armed incursions into southern Israel. So many synagogues supported the Black Lives Matter movement, but Jewish lives matter too, she said. She feels that Dr. King would implore Blacks to stand with Jewish communities. On a personal level, she shared that she recently converted to Judaism.
Phillips has written and worked extensively on Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI). She defined DEI as “radical anti-exclusion”. It is not musical chairs, she said. It’s more like a Rosh Hashanah dinner table, where everyone is fed (“especially brisket and kugel!”). She said it is about leveling the playing field, not about eliminating meritocracy.
In recognition that the current weekly Torah portions are from Exodus, Phillips noted the parallels between the biblical story of Moses and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Moses led the Israelites into freedom, and Martin Luther King, Jr. also led his people – and the country — from the bondage of discrimination, from the bondage of Jim Crow, and from the bondage of exclusion. She remarked that today (January 20th) marks another parallel, more like a juxtaposition – the inauguration of a president who intentionally divides the country, she said, on the day when we commemorate MLK, one of the country’s greatest uniters.
How do we bridge that chasm? She suggests the idea of grace. To Phillips, grace is a profound act of forgiveness, embodying the idea of mercy that is freely given. It is the gift we give ourselves that allows individuals to reflect on our actions, encourages us to extend compassion to others and a source of strength. Our country needs healing or unifying because too many groups are pitted against each other, she said. But rather than weaponize disagreements, she suggested, we should be reminded of Dr. King’s message. Dr. King championed love and the idea to seek common ground with those who oppose us. Grace is an active choice to engage. Phillips said, “Grace is not about releasing those who went to jail for storming the Capitol on January 6 …. Instead of taking actions to deepen divisions, let’s take actions to honor Dr. King, so that civil discourse is a source of strength.” In closing, she shared a poem by Reverend Howard Thurman, one of the spiritual mentors to Dr. King, “I want to be more loving in my heart. I want to be more loving.”
Colette responded to one of the questions from the audience with a summary of the Seven Traits of Anti-Racist Leaders: character, cultural intelligence, making connections, communication, collaboration, courage, and, most importantly, commitment. These ideas are developed in her recent book The Includers: Seven Traits of Culturally Savvy, Anti-Racist Leaders. Paraphrasing Isabel Wilkerson, author of Caste, Ms. Phillips stated that if you are busy holding down someone in a trench, you can’t do anything, else you lose. It takes less effort to love; it takes so much energy to hate.
She closed with a teaching from Prophet Micah that resonates with her: Do good, seek justice and walk humbly with God.
Sarah Coletti, chair of Na’aseh, Congregation Beth Elohim’s Social Action Committee, shared a story about her recent trip to Montgomery, Alabama, where she saw the kitchen table where Martin Luther King, Jr. grappled with God about whether he should continue his work, despite the risks. Coletti said she is glad King rose to the challenge and continued his work, that it brought his humanity to us. She said that we have it in ourselves to rise to the challenge as well.
Rabbi Braham David also spoke. He emphasized how proud CBE is for hosting this event for 23 years, and that the broader community has embraced this event over the years. He reminded attendees that although Blacks led the Civil Rights movement, Jewish communities are proud of our contributions as well. He asserted that systemic racism still exists and that, especially since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, virulent antisemitism has also resurfaced. Referring to a line from the Jewish Talmud which reads, “It’s not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you at liberty to neglect it,” Rabbi David said, “Our work is far from complete; in an era of division, let’s choose to unite.”
This annual Martin Luther King Jr. event is sponsored and organized by the Congregation Beth Elohim’s Social Action committee, Na’Aseh, or We Will Act. Congregation Beth Elohim is an independent and egalitarian synagogue located on Prospect Street in Acton. The recording of the speeches is available at the temple’s website.
Matthew Liebman is the Acton Exchange correspondent for Congregation Beth Elohim.
The editors of the Acton Exchange hope that members of other religious institutions and other local organizations in which Acton residents participate become correspondents.