Israel S. Dresner facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Israel S. Dresner
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Dresner with Martin Luther King Jr.
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| Born | April 22, 1929 |
| Died | January 13, 2022 (aged 92) Wayne, New Jersey, U.S.
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| Occupation | Rabbi |
Israel Seymour Dresner (born April 22, 1929 – died January 13, 2022) was an American Reform rabbi. A rabbi is a Jewish religious leader. He was a very important person in the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. He was also a close friend of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr..
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Early Life and Education
Israel Dresner was born on April 22, 1929, in New York City. He grew up in Brooklyn. As a child, he went to an Orthodox yeshiva, which is a Jewish day school. When he was 13, he joined a youth group called Habonim Dror. He even became one of its leaders.
He later studied at Brooklyn College and the University of Chicago. He earned degrees in international relations.
Career as a Rabbi
In 1951 and 1952, Dresner worked on a new kibbutz (a community farm) in Israel called Urim. After that, he served in the US Army for two years. One of those years was during the Korean War.
Then, he spent five years studying to become a rabbi. He was officially ordained (became a rabbi) at the Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion. His first job as a rabbi was in Danbury, Connecticut. Later, he led congregations in Springfield, New Jersey, and Wayne, New Jersey. He was a rabbi for 37 years in total.
Fighting for Civil Rights
Rabbi Dresner was known as "the most arrested rabbi in America." This was because he was arrested many times for protesting for civil rights.
He was a leading rabbi in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. He was one of the three rabbis closest to Martin Luther King Jr.. Dr. King even spoke at Rabbi Dresner's synagogue (Jewish house of worship) in Springfield twice.
In 1961, Rabbi Dresner was the first rabbi arrested during the Freedom Rides. These protests challenged unfair laws that separated people by race. He spent time in prisons in Florida and Georgia between 1961 and 1964. One of his legal cases even went to the US Supreme Court.
Former US President Barack Obama honored Rabbi Dresner at the White House. This was before the 50-year anniversary of the March on Washington.
Rabbi Dresner also fought for the rights of many other groups. He supported the poor, women, immigrants, and people with disabilities. He also worked for the rights of racial, religious, and ethnic minorities. He was a leader in the fight against the Vietnam War.
Working for Peace in Israel
Rabbi Dresner was also active in the peace movement in Israel. He believed in finding a peaceful solution for the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
He was the president of the Education Fund for Israeli Civil Rights and Peace. This group is now called Partners for Progressive Israel.
He was one of the first rabbis to speak out against policies that wanted to take over Palestinian lands. These lands were occupied by Israel in 1967 during the Six-Day War. He supported a two-state solution. This idea suggests having two separate states, one for Israelis and one for Palestinians, living side-by-side in peace. He visited Israel 36 times in his life.
Personal Life and Passing
Rabbi Dresner raised his son and daughter to speak Hebrew. His son is a citizen of both America and Israel. His daughter volunteered on a kibbutz and married a member of that community.
In December 2021, Rabbi Dresner shared that he was very sick with colon cancer. He passed away on January 13, 2022, at the age of 92.
