[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 12 (Thursday, February 10, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S641]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 TRIBUTE TO DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

 Mr. ROBB. Mr. President, on January 17, 2000, I attended the 
dedication of a memorial monument to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in 
Norfolk, Virginia. I want to read into the Congressional Record the 
remarks offered at the dedication by Rabbi Israel Zoberman, spiritual 
leader of Congregation Beth Chaverim in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and 
Chairman, Community Relations Council, United Jewish Federation of 
Tidewater:

       Our God of Blessings, My Cherished African American Sisters 
     and Brothers, Dear Dignitaries and Friends,
       Indeed, ``This is the day the Lord has provided for us, let 
     us rejoice in it.'' We have come together one family to give 
     thanks for the life of a great son of America and humanity, 
     the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and for his legacy 
     that will never die. With joy and pride we dedicate this 
     towering monument to the lasting spirit it represents--to 
     bring shalom's gift to the world through the non-violent 
     means of hope, healing and harmony. On the threshold of a new 
     decade, century and millennium, it is an essential guiding 
     beacon of light and enlightenment, soothing pain and 
     discovering promise.
       Standing on the giant shoulders of our martyr for peace, we 
     gratefully acknowledge the Biblical fountain of living truth 
     spoken by Israel's prophets that nourished, sustained and 
     inspired the prophetic conscience of Dr. King, a Nobel Prize 
     laureate, teaching that human dignity is one and indivisible. 
     No one is to pass by this sacred site untouched by it, for it 
     is symbol of our collective mandate to transform the world--
     transcending limitations and breaking barriers that still 
     divide us, keeping all children of Moses' God of Freedom from 
     rightfully fulfilling their potential to be a blessing.
       We are deeply moved by the extensive labor of love and 
     faith finally giving birth to this grand accomplishment, now 
     and forever gracing our beloved City of Norfolk and the 
     Hampton Roads community. May the entire nation hearken anew 
     to the compelling message of the Book of Deuteronomy, 
     ``Tzedek tzedek tirdof lemann tichye'' (Justice, justice 
     shall you pursue that you may live).
       Dr. King, we pledge to you and one another to continue your 
     most noble historical mission, rising to meet your high 
     stature. We can do no less. We shall never give up marching 
     to the Promised Land you so abundantly and sacrificially 
     dreamed of, leaving behind slavery in all its manifestations. 
     Together we shall yet overcome, O God Almighty, we shall yet 
     overcome. Amen.

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