"I Did Not Walk Alone:" The Civil Rights Work of Rabbi Maurice Davis

Talking Hoosier History

In 1965, at the height of the Civil Rights Movement, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called for religious leaders representing all faiths to join him in Selma, Alabama, for a march responding to recent violence against peaceful protestors. Rabbi Maurice Davis of the Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation (IHC) answered this call, despite threats to his life. This episode looks at the work of Rabbi Davis to fight segregation and discrimination in Indianapolis, especially in housing and employment. It also considers why Jewish Americans joined the Black-led Civil Rights Movement in greater numbers than other groups and what lessons his work teaches us today about allyship and interfaith work for greater rights for all Americans. Current IHC Rabbi Brett Krichiver brings the words of his predecessor to life with music from IHC Cantor Aviva Marer. IHB historian Justin Clark hosts. Written and produced by IHB historian Jill Weiss Simins.