My Legs Were Praying: A Biography of Abraham Joshua Heschel

Succinct, inspiring biography of a bridge-building Jewish leader, supplemented by 15 black-and-white photographs

On March 21, 1965, Martin Luther King, Jr. and other civil rights organizers led 8,000 protesters on a 54-mile march from Selma to Montgomery. They invited a distinguished group of national religious figures to join them in the front lines. One of these was Abraham Joshua Heschel--a gifted Jewish scholar, teacher, and speaker, whose recent book, The Prophets (1962)--a detailed study of the ancient biblical champions of justice and mercy--was a source of great inspiration to Dr. King and others.

As Heschel walked arm-in-arm with his colleagues, he was easy to spot in the crowd: He was a short, stocky man with flowing white hair, a bushy beard, who wore a dark yarmulke (Jewish head covering). Like the prophets of old, Heschel believed that standing up for others--particularly the most vulnerable members of society--is a sacred obligation. He later wrote, the religious person must seek to hold God and humankind ＂in one thought at one time,＂ suffering ＂harm done to others,＂ making ＂compassion＂ one’s ＂greatest passion.＂

Heschel first learned these essential values as a child in Eastern Europe. This little book is his story.

Or N. Rose is the founding director of the Betty Ann Greenbaum Miller Center for Interreligious Learning and Leadership at Hebrew College in Newton, MA. Before assuming this position in 2016, he worked in various administrative and teaching capacities at Hebrew College. Rose has taught for the Bronfman Youth Fellowships, The Wexner Graduate Fellowship, and in a variety of other academic, religious, and civic contexts throughout North America, and in Asia, Europe, and Israel. A prolific author and editor, his writings have appeared at MyJewishLearning, Religion News Service; The Times of Israel, Tikkun, The Washington Post, and various scholarly publications. He’s the author and editor of several books including a recent award-winner, With the Best of Intentions: Interreligious Missteps and Unexpected Learnings (Orbis 2023).