The mission of this blog is to stimulate interest in the deeply perceptive and still-relevant teachings of Levi A. Olan (1903-1984) by sharing from the Levi A. Olan Sermons and Images at Bridwell Library Digital Collection. The title "Conscience of the City" was applied to Rabbi Olan by a Fortune magazine reporter in 1964. Although Olan's city was Dallas, his thought transcends locality. Our goal is to...
-
-
A Skeptic’s Faith
"Faith is not living by what you absolutely know to be true; rather, it is to risk everything on a great adventure into the unknown." While the thrust of Rabbi Olan's sermon on January 28, 1962 was about religious faith, it's interesting to put the timing of his discussion on faith and skepticism into historical context. The day before...
-
Is There Really a God?
"Religion is essentially psychological and not theological, which is to say, that such practices as worship and prayer exist whether there is or there is not God." On January 21, 1962, Rabbi Olan didn't shy away from the challenging and fundamental notions about...
-
Whether my neighbor likes it or not, I must please God
-
Levi Olan and his sister, Bertha, in 1942
Image courtesy of Bonnie C. Yankaskas.
-
Good Will—The Fact and the Illusion
“The most threatening danger of our times is prejudice, the most urgent need is for good will, not as a pious article of faith, but as a specific and concrete act.” On January 14, 1962, …
-
In a dictatorship, thinking is not only unnecessary, it is a handicap….
“In a dictatorship, thinking is not only unnecessary, it is a handicap, it can lead to a criticism of men in power. But a democracy depends wholly upon a citizenry that can distinguish propaganda from fact, prejudice from reality.”
Rabbi Levi A. Olan. From “Religion and Communism in the Public Schools,” broadcast January 7, 1962
-
Religion and Communism in the Public Schools
“It is an irony and a paradox that people who fear government authority want to use it in areas where it does not and should not belong.” If you only read the title of Rabbi …
-
In the Face of Fear
“The answer to fear is courage. Our question is how can we find such courage to meet the fears of our lives.” In his sermon of December 24, 1961, “In the Face of Fear,” Rabbi …
-
What Do You Want — Freedom or Security?
"There is no freedom without responsibility!" Rabbi Olan didn't use exclamation marks often, but when speaking on December 17, 1961, he wanted his message to be absolutely clear: finding the balance between freedom and security was (and is) a crucial issue of our time. "Our culture does not prepare people for freedom; on the contrary, it..."
-
Olan sermon recording tape
Reel-to-reel tape of Rabbi Olan’s sermon “Justice Comes First,” November 19, 1961, as exhibited at Bridwell Library in 2014. Rabbi Olan’s hard-hitting words make even more impact when they are heard being delivered in his …
