Rabbi Levi A. Olan: The Conscience of the City

“What a blessing it is to remember.” In his October 20, 1968 radio sermon, Rabbi Olan spoke about memory. He began with a brief nod to the importance of remembering bad experiences and learning from …

“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 …

“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 …

“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 …

“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 …

“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 …

“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 …

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 …

“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”, …

“In most critical situations, we can light a candle instead of cursing the darkness.“ Rabbi Olan begins this sermon by normalizing “periods of despair and frustration” as reactions both to bad news from the wider …