A Call for Love in the Face of Hatred: Rabbi Michael Lerner’s Talk at Muhammad Ali’s Memorial

Note: Muhammad Ali knew Rabbi Lerner as a friend and ally in the 1960s and early ’70s when both were indicted by the U.S. government for their roles in opposing the war in Vietnam. Ali, knowing he would die from Parkinson’s disease, planned his memorial ahead of time and decided to invite Lerner to represent the American Jewish community at his memorial service, which took place June 10, 2016 in Louisville, Kentucky. Lerner’s speech was met with wide acclaim, went viral on YouTube and other social media, and helped popularize the saying “Be Ali.” You can watch it online by searching “YouTube Rabbi Lerner.” His talk was interrupted so many times by applause and standing ovations that we decided not to include them in this transcript. Lerner started his talk by chanting, in Hebrew, the opening words of a Jewish memorial prayer for the dead.

El maley rachamim, shocheyn ba’meh’romeem. Master of compassion, God of compassion, send your blessings to Muhammad Ali, send your blessings to all who mourn for him, and send your blessings for all the millions and millions of people who mourn for him all over this planet. I come here speaking as a representative of American Jews — and to say that American Jews played an important role in solidarity with African-American struggles in this country and that we today stand in solidarity with the Islamic community in this country and all around the world.

We will not tolerate politicians or anyone else putting down Muslims and blaming Muslims for a few people. We know what it’s like to be demeaned. We know what it’s like to have a few people who act against the highest visions of our tradition to then be identified as the value of the entire tradition. And one of the reasons that we at Tikkun magazine, a magazine of liberal and progressive Jews, but also an interfaith magazine, have called upon the United States to stand up to the part of the Israeli government that is oppressing Palestinians is that we, as Jews, understand that our commitment is to recognize that God has created everyone in God’s image and that everyone is equally precious and that means the Palestinian people as well as all other people on the planet.

I know the people of Louisville have a special relationship to Muhammad Ali, and I had a personal relationship with him in the ’60s when both of us were indicted by the federal government for our various stands against the war in Vietnam. I want to say that although he was cheered on as the heavyweight champion of the world, you know the truth is — and all the honor to him — but heavyweight champions of the world come and go and sports heroes come and go. There was something about Muhammad Ali that was different. At the key moment when he had that recognition, he used it to stand up to an immoral war and say, “No, I won’t go.”

And it’s for that reason that tens of millions of Americans who don’t particularly care about boxing, do care about Muhammad Ali, because he was the person who was willing to risk a great honor that he got and great fame that he got to stand up for the beliefs that he had. To speak truth to power when the rest of the people around him said, “No, no, you’re going to lose your championship.” And it was taken away from him for five years, but he stood up and was willing to take that kind of a risk because of that kind of moral integrity.

So I want to say, how do we honor Muhammad Ali? And the answer is: the way to honor Muhammad Ali is to be Muhammad Ali today.

That means us, everyone here and everyone listening. It’s up to us to continue that ability to speak truth to power. We must speak out, refuse...