The Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma

Witten by Josh Gale and Tracy Wolf

Saturday morning services underneath the Edmund Pettus Bridge

J.tel crosses over the Edmund Pettus Bridge in honor of those who marched from Selma to Birmingham fighting for civil rights

This morning we drove to Selma, Alabama where we had a Shabbat morning serivce at the base of the Edmund Pettus Bridge. This service was led by J.telees. There were a plethora of meaningful prayers and everyone was able to find their own spritual connection. This bridge is famous for the multiple people that protested on it. Black protestors during the civil rights movement crossed the bridge during their 5 day march to Montgomery, Alabama.

Another highlight from today was meeting a lady from the Civil Rights Movement named Joanne Bland. She gave us her own personal story of how she fought white oppression. She shared her story of crossing the bridge at age 11. We were able to truly understand her compelling story because as Jews we have been opressed as well. After getting a tour of her hometown and seeing all of the iconic sights, we all learned that if we put out minds to it, we all have the power to take a stand against injustice.