As we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the US on Monday, let us recall the words of this peerless and universal civil rights leader, who emphasized that “our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class, and our nation.”
Much has been made in recent months about a weakened US, humbled by its setbacks in Afghanistan and distracted by internal turmoil, abandoning its allies in the Arab world, and leaving behind a region mired in confusion and turmoil.
In an era of unprecedented Jewish-Muslim breakthroughs, it takes a lot to surprise. Yet President Ilham Aliyev did just that last week when I met him in Baku, taking several groundbreaking actions to foster the long-term success of Azerbaijan’s Jewish community — the largest in the Muslim world — and elevate his country’s efforts to fight international anti-Semitism.
The US holiday season is defined by tradition, gratitude and family. It is a period to reflect on the blessings of life, celebrate communally with our neighbors, and spread the gifts of love and charity. No other time of year reminds us so strongly of our common faith and common fate.
Five years ago, the very notion of Yeshiva University, the pre-eminent institution of higher Jewish learning in the US, honoring the secretary general of the Makkah-based Muslim World League would have been met with stupefaction or downright indignation.
Nelson Mandela, one of the true heroes of our modern age, declared only a few years after his long incarceration ended: “Sport can create hope, where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than governments in breaking down racial barriers. It laughs in the face of all types of discrimination.”
In the Talmudic “Ethics of the Fathers,” compiled almost two millennia ago, Rabbi Tarfon offers us several lessons on the importance of completing the unfinished task. “It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you at liberty to neglect it,” he explains. After all, “the day is short, the work is plentiful, the laborers are indolent, the reward is great, and the master of the house is insistent.”
Copyright © 2026 Foundation For Ethnic Understanding. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy