As MLK Day and Tu B’Shvat coincide, a ‘really special’ opportunity to pursue justice

This article originally appeared in The Forward on January 17th 2022

This year MLK Day fell on the same day as Tu B’Shvat, the Jewish New Year of the Trees.

For KeSean Johnson, a Baltimore-based filmmaker and military veteran who is Black and Jewish, that coincidence is “really special.”

Johnson is a program associate for the Baltimore chapter of Repair the World, which mobilizes Jews to pursue social justice and, on Monday, marked the dual holiday with an online discussion about environmental stewardship and how it relates to both Judaism and King’s legacy.

As Jews, it is important to understand “our legacy and tradition of being stewards of the environment and fighting for racial justice,” said Rachel McGrain, Repair the World’s Baltimore city director, in an interview.

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