Small Talk: Rabbi Daniel B. Syme inducted into Martin Luther King Jr. Board of Preachers

Oralandar Brand-Williams / The Detroit News

Rabbi Daniel B. Syme of Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Hills recently was inducted into the prestigious Martin Luther King Jr. Board of Preachers. The honor was presented by King's alma mater, Morehouse College, which each year recognizes individuals in the area of religion, academics and other disciplines.

The more than 30 honorees were chosen based on professional success and acclaim as well as their contributions to their communities and societies. They were also judged on personal and professional ethical principles and how those personal principles relate to the teachings of King, Mahatma Gandhi and peace activist and Buddhist philosopher Daisaku Ikeda.

How did you feel about being honored?

I was stunned. It is really a humbling experience. I went to Atlanta along with my wife. From the moment my wife Jill and I stepped on campus I was conscious that I was walking on holy ground. We walked down these aisles (of the school) ... and on each side wall there are paintings of formative figures in the civil rights movement ... champions of world peace. There was Dr. King, Coretta (Scott King). There was Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel (celebrated theologian and close friend of King who marched with King during the famous Selma, Ala., civil rights march), the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Mahatma Gandhi, one painting after another. It just left me breathless.

What does this honor do for you?

I have spent my life working in interreligious understanding. It has been one of my priorities. I've worked real hard to establish bonds between the black and Jewish communities. I do pulpit exchanges. We do the gospel Seder. What this touching experience (of being honored) does for me is it reinforces for me to work in that realm as long as I'm a rabbi.

How important is the concept of interreligious or interfaith dialogue?

It is one of the crucial factors in the future of America. We always talk about military cooperation. But the cooperation between those of different faiths is so important and it's not just limited to black/Jewish relations.

bwilliams@detnews.com (313) 222-2027