“We had better look upon our city and ask whether it is what it should be so that it may help to build men and women of quality.”

Rabbi Olan’s radio sermon on March 11, 1962 weighs the qualities of urban progress against the realities of what makes a good community.

From Jerusalem to Rabbi Olan’s own city of Dallas, he offers several examples on both sides, arguing that chief among the qualities of a good community are education and social responsibility. As he says, “There is no freedom when there is ignorance.”

Read the full sermon for greater insight on “What the City Needs,” or listen to Rabbi Olan’s own reading of it here.

Watch the video.