Rabbi Levi A. Olan: The Conscience of the City

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 …

“There is no easy road to the Promised Land. There is no way of avoiding the wilderness of suffering and endurance in our journey towards the better life. No one can relieve us of our …

“It is easy, it seems, to bomb masses of people. It is more difficult to do it to the individual. It is easier to hate a group than a person.” In his radio sermon of …

“We… will make decisions in our personal lives and for the nation…. Let us be as sure as we can possibly be that the consequences are those we want.” We have all played the game …

“Moses commanded the people, ‘And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it into the blood, and strike the lintels and the two side-posts of your houses.’” Rabbi Olan makes a simple point …

“In the real issues of our lives, in facing grief or experiencing joy, in the presence of fear, or the need for hope, hard work and hard thought are not enough…Prayer can lead [us] to …