I am very pleased to share a report from Debbie Koller, an amazing volunteer from Anshe Emet Synagogue, who first brought Pastor Brooks' message to the attention of her rabbi, Rabbi Michael Siegel. She's in this video saying, "We're praying with our feet as we walk...", and has continually tried to connect the Jewish Community with the Pastor and his message:
Sunday, July 15th, Pastor Brooks led an 11.7 mile walk from his church in Chicago all the way to Navy Pier. Since this was his home city he had a crowd of thousands.This was a diverse crowd. The walk began with a rally in front of New Beginnings Church on the grounds where Pastor Brooks lived for 94 days in a tent to protest the gun violence in his neighborhood and raise funds to purchase the abandoned motel. Eventually he will build a Community and Economic Development Center. On this day it was filled with a crowd ready to say they had enough of the violence in this community and across the country. Pastor Brooks said, "This is not a black or white problem but an American problem," when he spoke about the gun violence that is plaguing cities like Chicago. This weekend in Chicago four young people lost their lives to gun violence, which is becoming a common weekend occurrence on the South Side of Chicago. Mayor Rahm Emmanuel and Governor Pat Quinn, were there to say that this is not normal and we need to take a stand against the violence.
Many clergy spoke including Rabbi Heather Altman. Rabbi Altman visited Pastor Brooks in the winter when he was up in the tent on the roof. She brought her style of RavYoga to the roof to help the Pastor when he was weakening in the tent. While doing yoga she brought a kind Torah study with yoga to Pastor Brooks. The common Torah/Bible teachings we share brought the two together in study and in friendship.
Rabbi Heather Altman spoke and delivered Rabbi Siegel's speech to a very enthusiastic crowd.
Rabbi Abe Friedman from Anshe Emet walked with several Anshe Emet Community Members as well as several b'nai mitzvah children. My son, Sam Koller, his cousin, Summer Kawalek, and Asher Rappaport all were walking as part of their mitzvah Projects. The kids were enthusiastic as they cheered "Whose Streets! Our Streets!" sang a blues call and response as well as sang "Down by the Riverside." I was brought to tears knowing how inspired the kids were. They also made friends along the way and learned about the challenges in this community and others like it.
When people from the community ask me how I got involved and I relay how I brought Rabbi Siegel to the roof in the middle of winter, they get a look on their face of such joy. Many church members have seen Rabbi Siegel speak and have been inspired, just as I have been inspired by Pastor Brooks. One man even told me, because of Rabbi Siegel's talk about "Praying with your feet", he has become an active member of New Beginnings after a long time away.
My hope with connecting Rabbi Siegel and others in the Jewish Community with Pastor Brooks and his work with ProjectHOOD was to rebuild the bonds we once shared through the Civil Rights Movement with Dr. Martin Luther King and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. Rabbi Heschel has been quoted as saying when he walked in Selma he was " Praying with my legs." The Walk Across America Team wears a version of his quotation on the back of their shirts "Praying with our Feet" with Rabbi Heschel's name. It is amazing to see our communities once again come together and support this very important message.Operation Tent of Abraham and Sarah continues as Pastor Brooks will be welcomed in St. Louis at Congregation B'nai Amoona on July 27 at Shabbat morning services.
What route is he taking, why can't some of us join him along the way?
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