.jpg?fit=crop&w=220&h=132&auto=format)
92NY’s Goldman Center for Children and Family provides an exceptional array of programs designed to support children at every stage of their development.
Jan 15, 1990
Professor Wiesel speaks toward the end of a tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr., telling of his one personal meeting with Dr. King and how impressed he was by him. Dr. King's greatness could be seen in the way he inspired others. And we learn from him that courage such as he displayed is sometimes rewarded.
In essence, Dr. King’s message and dream teach us that no one should ever be humiliated. This teaching parallels that of Jewish tradition, which views humiliation as a form of murder. The parallel appears also with regard to its opposition to slavery; one is free, but is not free to give up one’s freedom. Racism preaches the opposite: hatred. But following Dr. King’s message and dream moves humankind in a direction of nobility. Professor Wiesel, once ashamed to be white in the United States, expresses pride in the change in mentality he has witnessed. The battle is surely not over, since many racist groups continue to exist and exert a strange perverse appeal, especially among the young. But such groups are clearly in the minority. Professor Wiesel concludes with a fanciful legend that, on a personal level, offers a guide to overcoming the evil of racism.
© 2026 The Young Men’s and Young Women’s Hebrew Association
All Rights Reserved.
All material accessed via the 92NY website (“content”) is protected by copyright under U.S. Copyright laws and is the property of The Young Men’s and Young Women’s Hebrew Association or the party credited as the provider of the content. You may not copy, reproduce, distribute, publish, display, perform, modify, create derivative works, transmit, or in any way exploit any such content, nor may you distribute any part of this content over any network, including a local area network, sell or offer it for sale, or use such content to construct any kind of database. You may not alter or remove any copyright or other notice from copies of the content accessed via 92NY’s website. Copying or storing any content except as provided above is expressly prohibited without prior written permission of 92NY or the copyright holder identified in the individual content’s copyright notice.
If you are a rights holder and have found your material on our website for which you have not granted permission (or is not covered by a copyright exception under US copyright laws), please contact us so that we may obtain and document accurate rights-related information. Upon email request to archive@92ny.org, we will temporarily remove material from public view while we address any rights issue and will honor takedown requests from authors who do not wish to have their work published.
