In this episode of Moral Courage: From the Study of Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis, host Ari sits down with Rabbi Gerry Serotta—a veteran voice in civil rights, interfaith organizing, and progressive Jewish advocacy. Growing up in segregated Miami surrounded by a family deeply committed to social justice, Rabbi Serotta traces his journey from choosing the rabbinate over medical school to active involvement in the civil rights and anti-war movements.
The discussion explores the early inspiration of figures like Eleanor Roosevelt and Dr. Martin Luther King, the foundational concept of Tikkun Olam, navigating difficult conversations within congregations and campus communities, and the power of universalism through a Jewish lens. Rabbi Serotta also shares personal reflections on interfaith coalition building, overcoming the "sin of indifference," and maintaining the courage to stand up for core values.
Show Notes
Key Topics & Highlights:
- Formative Years & Roots in Activism: Growing up in segregated Miami Beach, early experiences with voter registration in Liberty City, and his mother's social justice leadership and creative Passover Haggadot.
- Choosing the Rabbinate: Choosing rabbinical school over medical school after being inspired by activist clergy, Dr. Martin Luther King, and Reverend William Sloan Coffin.
- Courage & Pastoral Balancing: Navigating pushback from congregations and sponsors, being fired after a youth anti-war Shabbat service, and why a good rabbi should "always have his bags packed."
- Evolution of Tikkun Olam: Rabbi Serotta's role in popularizing the concept of Tikkun Olam in the 1970s through New Jewish Agenda and its roots in classical Jewish values like Mipne Darchei Shalom.
- Interfaith Dialogue & Universalism: Lessons from decades of campus ministry and heading the Interfaith Council of Metropolitan Washington; combating the "sin of indifference" (Lo Tochal Lehit'alem); and finding shared values across faiths.
What is Moral Courage: From the Study of Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis?
“Moral Courage” shares Jewish ideas and conversations — inspired by the works of Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis — that make Jewish wisdom more accessible, inclusive and relevant to today’s complicated world. Rabbi Schulweis was a longtime pulpit rabbi at Valley Beth Shalom in Encino, California, from 1970 until his passing in 2014, who made Judaism approachable and accessible. He believed that humanity could do divine work in the world, trying to make it a better place. He was a cofounder of the anti-genocide program Jewish World Watch, and said that Jews have a moral responsibility to help those who are suffering, wherever they are. He was also the founding Chair of the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous, recognizing Christians who saved Jews from the Holocaust. His is a voice that we need now—to give us direction and hope, in an otherwise troubled time. Executive Produced by Sad Clown Productions and Mayim Bialik. Hosted by Rabbi Ari Averbach.