News Highlights “My Legs Were Praying”
by Rabbi Or Rose Available Now
“My Legs Were Praying: A Biography of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel”
Rabbi Or Rose, founding Director of Hebrew College’s Miller Center for Interreligious Learning and Leadership, has written a beautiful biography of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel for teen and young adult readers. Below, learn more about My Legs Were Praying: A Biography of Abraham Joshua Heschel (Monkfish Book Publishing Company). Join us on Zoom for a book launch on May 8, and enroll in Rabbi Rose’s adult learning course about Heschel’s legacy today.
About the Book
Succinct, inspiring biography of a legendary bridge-building Jewish leader, supplemented by 25 black-and-white photographs
On March 21, 1965, Martin Luther King, Jr. and other civil rights organizers led 8,000 protesters on a 54-mile march from Selma to Montgomery. They invited a distinguished group of national religious figures to join them in the front lines. One of these was Abraham Joshua Heschel—a gifted Jewish scholar, teacher, and speaker, whose recent book, The Prophets (1962)— a detailed study of the ancient biblical champions of justice and mercy— was a source of great inspiration to Dr. King and others.
As Heschel walked arm-in-arm with his colleagues, he was easy to spot in the crowd: He was a short, stocky man with flowing white hair, a bushy beard, who wore a dark yarmulke (Jewish head covering). Like the prophets of old, Heschel believed that standing up for others — particularly the most vulnerable members of society — is a sacred obligation. He later wrote, the religious person must seek to hold God and humankind “in one thought at one time,” suffering “harm done to others,” making “compassion” one’s “greatest passion.”
Heschel first learned these essential values as a child in Eastern Europe. This brief and insightful book tells his story.
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel (of blessed memory) was not only one of the most profound Jewish thinkers of the 20th century but also a courageous advocate for human dignity. His life’s work reminds us that our religious and ethical commitments must be lived out through our deeds. From his social justice work, to his groundbreaking writings on prayer, the Sabbath, and the prophets, Heschel’s legacy offers timeless lessons for our world today.
Through biographical, historical, and intellectual exploration—including many quotations from Heschel’s stirring poetry and prose—and 25 black-and-white photographs, the book surveys his journey from Eastern Europe to the front lines of the American civil rights movement. It also includes beautiful reflections from Professor Dr. Susannah Heschel (his daughter), Ambassador Suzann Johnson Cook, and several of Heschel’s students. This biography aims to inspire students, congregants, and community members to reflect on their own roles in building a more compassionate and just society.
Book Launch
Join us by Zoom on Thursday, May 8 at 7:00 pm to celebrate the release of Rabbi Or Rose’s new book My Legs Were Praying: A Biography of Abraham Joshua Heschel. Dr. Susannah Heschel, Eli M. Black Professor of Jewish Studies at Dartmouth College and daughter of Rabbi Heschel, will offer opening remarks. Dr. Irvin Scott, Senior Lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Dr. Celene Ibrahim, who teaches for the Groton School’s Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, will offer responses. This event will take place on Zoom. Learn more.
Reviews
“Amazing! Or Rose has accomplished the impossible—taken the complex story and teachings of one of our twentieth century’s quintessential Jewish leaders and shared his life story and his essential beliefs in a way that will appeal and make sense to young adults. I know a lot about Heschel, but this book is so full of detail about his life and clarity about his beliefs, I learned more.” —Ruth Messinger, Global Ambassador, American Jewish World Service
“In this beautiful new biography, Rose brings Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel’s story, indeed his inner light, to life for a new generation. Now more than ever, we need everyone to know that faith can be a source of inspiration for individuals, and a bridge of cooperation between diverse communities. This book shows us how this was the case for Rabbi Heschel, and how it might be the case for each of us too.” —Eboo Patel, Founder and President, Interfaith America
“Or Rose has once again captured the brilliant spirit of Rabbi Heschel and shared it with an audience who desperately need Heschel’s prophetic wisdom. Today’s world is desperate for a model of living in pursuit of justice and peace. Heschel offers a path. Or Rose is a fabulous guide.” —Peter A. Geffen, Founder and President, The KIVUNIM Institute, and Founder of the Abraham Joshua Heschel School in New York City.
“In powerful prose, My Legs Were Praying brings to life the legacy and profound moral witness of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. This compelling biography is a must read and serves as needed inspiration to embrace Rabbi Heschel’s lifelong commitment to loving kindness and justice.” —Rev. Adam Russell Taylor, President, Sojourners
“My father’s legacy is enormous. He gave a vision of the extraordinary heights of love and compassion a human being can reach.” —Susannah Heschel, Eli Black Distinguished Professor of Jewish Studies, Dartmouth College (from the Foreword)
“I pray that this wonderful book about one of the great Jewish scholars and social activists of the past century helps younger readers actualize their unique, God-given, talents and join in ongoing efforts to establish a more compassionate, just, and sustainable world.” —The Honorable Reverend Dr. Suzan Johnson-Cook, Former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom (from the Afterword)
About the Author
Rabbi Or Rose is the founding Director of the Betty Ann Greenbaum Miller Center for Interreligious Learning & Leadership of Hebrew College and a senior consultant to Interfaith America. He previously served as the Associate Dean for Informal Education at the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College and as co-founder and director of CIRCLE, a center for interreligious education co-sponsored by Andover Newton Theological School and Hebrew College. Rabbi Rose is publisher of The Journal of Interreligious Studies and the co-editor of the award-winning anthologies, My Neighbor’s Faith: Stories of Interreligious Encounter, Growth, and Transformation (Orbis, 2012) and With the Best of Intentions: Interreligious Missteps & Mistakes (Orbis, 2023). Rabbi Rose is currently completing a contemporary multifaith commentary on the Book of Psalms. His writings have also appeared in Beliefnet; The Huffington Post; Forward; MyJewishLearning; Patheos; Religion News Service; Tikkun; and The Washington Post.
Are you interested in hosting Rabbi Rose in your congregation, classroom, study group, or another setting to discuss the life and work of Abraham Joshua Heschel? Email [email protected]
Study with Rabbi Rose
Rabbi Rose will be teaching a Tamid of Hebrew College adult learning online course this spring entitled “Moral Grandeur & Spiritual Audacity”: Heschel’s Legacy Today.“
Dates : 3 Thursdays – 5/15, 5/29 & 6/5
Time: 7-8:30 p.m. EST
Location: Zoom
Cost: $150, financial aid is available
Sponsors: Tamid of Hebrew College & the Miller Center
Course Description: In a famous telegram from 1963, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel called on religious and political leaders to exercise “moral grandeur & spiritual audacity.” The telegram was addressed to President John F. Kennedy and the context was the Civil Rights Movement. Since that time, Heschel’s legacy as an inspiring theologian and moral gadfly has grown tremendously. But what was the substance of his teachings? What Jewish and other sources did he draw on? How did he apply these teachings to the great social challenges of his day? Most importantly, what might we learn from Heschel’s extraordinary efforts as we attempt to participate in the healing of our world.