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...
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A Modern View of Judgment
“When we practice injustices we reap the whirlwind. …If we do justly, we can find enduring peace.” In this sermon, delivered on October 13, 1968, Rabbi Olan wrestles with the question, where will we look …
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Seeking Oneself
“Adam and Eve hid themselves from the presence of God among the trees of the garden. And God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?” In this sermon, Rabbi Olan stops calling …
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MLK
“Martin Luther King said just the day before he was murdered that if a man does not have a cause for which he is ready to die, he is dead already.”
– Rabbi Levi A. Olan. From “From Birmingham to Memphis,” broadcast April 28, 1968
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From Birmingham to Memphis
“The assassination of a public figure awakens us to hidden and neglected realities. The criminal killing of Martin Luther King, Jr. was such an event.” On April 28, 1968, Rabbi Olan spoke about the April …
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Utopia–Reality or Illusion?
“Who is the realist today—the so-called practical men who are plunging toward disaster on a universal scale, or the prophetic visionary of the brotherhood of man under the Fatherhood of God?” In this sermon delivered …
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The Hope of Christian and Jew
“If ever there was a generation in history that felt hopeless, it is the present one. It will take a miracle to get us out of our doom-like mood.” April 14, 1968 Once again, Rabbi …
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The Role of the Artist
“This is the time for us to listen to the artist as he tries to tell us who we are and what we can become.” On April 2, 1968, the film 2001 A Space Odyssey …
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A Leader for These Times
March 31, 1968 In the midst of the 1968 presidential campaign, with the nation in crisis, Rabbi Olan asked in his sermon, “Whom shall we choose to lead us back to health?” He endorsed not …
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Levi and Bertha
Rabbi Olan and his sister, Bertha, in the 1960s. Image and identifications courtesy of Joshua Hirsch.
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Religion and the Social Crisis
“The prophetic faith recognizes God’s presence on earth as well as in heaven…. He asks of [us] that [we] help Him build the good and beloved community.” Rabbi Olan’s sermon “Religion and the Social Crisis”, …
Rabbi Levi A. Olan: The Conscience of the City 