Queens Bar Associations Honor the Legacy of Dr. King

From left: Hon. Bernice Siegal, board member of the Queens County Womens Bar Association (QCWBA) and Brandeis Association; Hon. Marguerite Grays, chair of the QCWBA; Hon. Howard Lane, chair of the Macon B. Allen Association; Jawan Finley, Esq., president of the Macon B. Allen Association; Peter A. Geffen; Adrienne Williams, Esq., president the QCWBA;, Hon. Jodi Orlow, chair of the Brandeis Association; and Hon. Mojgan Lancman, president of the Brandeis Association. Photo courtesy of the Brandeis Association

By Hon. Mojgan Lancman

Special to the Eagle

Members of the Brandeis Association, Macon B. Allen Black Bar Association and the Queens County Women's Bar Association gathered at the Queens Civil Court Wednesday to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day and honor the legacy of the civil rights leader.

Peter A. Geffen, an international educator who founded the Kivunim-"New Pathways" Program in Jerusalem and the Heschel School in Manhattan, served as guest speaker. Geffen developed the schools around the philosophies of Dr. King and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, Geffen's former rabbi and spiritual leader.

During his speech, Geffen discussed how Rabbi Heschel and Dr. King met and built a close spiritual friendship. Geffen also spoke about the obstacles both men faced and how their activism and spirituality influenced one another.

At the gathering, Geffen also recounted his personal, riveting and emotional experiences working for Dr. King as a civil rights worker in Orangeburg, SC during the summers of 1965 and 1966. Geffen also helped plan funeral arrangements for the slain civil rights leader.