This December, you are invited to join CBE on a civil rights trip to the south led by Rabbi Stephanie Kolin and Etgar 36. CBE members ages 18 and up will have the opportunity to learn together, hearing directly from people who were involved in movements for change in the 1960s (and still today!), as we travel between Georgia and Alabama, visiting places such as the Rosa Parks Museum, The Lynching Memorial for Peace and Justice, Equal Justice Initiative, Edmund Pettus Bridge, and more.
When:
December 8–11, 2022 (arriving in Atlanta Thursday evening and departing no earlier than Sunday at 3:30 PM)
Cost:
Final costs for the trip are as follows:
Single Occupancy Rooms: $1,575 – $250 = $1,325 (balance due)
Double Occupancy Rooms: $1,300 – $250 = $1,050 (balance due/per person)
*If you do not recall which option you chose, please let us know.
As a reminder, flights, dinner Thursday night and lunch on Sunday are not included.
Hotels:
Fairfield Inn, 7775 Ella Lane, Fairburn, GA
Fairfield Inn, Montgomery-Eastchase, AL
Itinerary:
Pick up at airport
9:00 PM: First group meeting
Leo Frank Story
Hear the story of Leo Frank, a New York Jew who moved to Atlanta, was falsely convinced of murder, and was lynched. This has impacted the identity of Jews in the south since it occurred in 1915. Stand where the Civil Rights movement began and learn about the Montgomery Bus Boycott
Hotel: Fairfield Inn—Fairburn, GA 30213Breakfast at hotel
8 AM—Leave for Montgomery, AL
10:00 AM—Rosa Parks Museum (CST)
Stand where the Civil Rights movement began and learn about the Montgomery Bus Boycott
11:30 AM—Lunch
1:30 PM—Memorial for Peace and Justice – Lynching Memorial
Reflect on an often-overlooked tragedy at the first national memorial for victims of lynching.
3 PM—Equal Justice Initiative’s Legacy Museum
Explore the evolution of racial oppression from slavery to mass incarceration.
5:15 PM—Depart for Shabbat services
6:00 PM—Friday Night Services
Dinner brought to hotel
Hotel: Fairfield Inn — Montgomery EastchaseBreakfast at hotel
8:00 AM—Leave for Selma
9:00 AM—Tour Selma & The Edmund Pettus Bridge
Meet with someone who was beaten on the march. Hear her story.
Learn about Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and his involvement in the struggle.
11:30 AM—Depart for Birmingham and Lunch
2:30 PM—Contextualization talk about Birmingham
Walking tour of Freedom Park & 16th Street Baptist Church
Get a walking tour by a Reverend who was a Civil Rights worker in Birmingham in the 50s & 60s and was arrested and had the dogs & hoses turned on him. See the historic church where 4 girls died in a bombing.
4:15 PM—Depart for Atlanta and dinner
Hotel: Fairfield Inn – Fairburn, GABreakfast at hotel
8:15 AM—Depart hotel
9:00 AM—Sunday morning services at Ebenezer Baptist Church Dr. King’s historic church
10:15 AM—Tour the King Center and the Auburn Street neighborhood
See the historic neighborhood where King was born, preached, and is buried.
11:15AM—Depart for lunch on own at Ponce City Market
12:45 PM—Depart for airport and home
3:30 PM—Earliest that return flights should depart
FAQ:
1. Will a shuttle service be provided from the airport to hotel?
There will be one shuttle pick up at the airport to bring participants to the hotel. We will determine the time of that pick up based on arrival time of most flights. Alternatively, there are plenty of Ubers and the hotel is not far from the airport.2. Do you have a flight you recommend?
Delta has a flight that leaves LaGuardia Airport at 5:00 PM and arrives in Atlanta at 7:30 PM.3. Are we seeing the new slavery museum and “lynching” memorial in Montgomery?
Yes. That is the Equal Justice Initiative Legacy Museum and Memorial to Peace and Justice. 4 How much walking is there on the trip?
The longest blocks of walking are in the EJI Memorial in Montgomery, which is about a ½ mile, and also when we walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, in Selma, which is about a ¼ of a mile. People who feel that they would rather not walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge can ride the bus across it. 5. Is there a dress code for the trip?
No. Participants should dress for the weather and comfort. We are outside for much of the trip. Casual nice is fine for Sunday morning church services. No need for suits, jackets, ties, dresses. For Temple of Friday night, the participants are fine wearing what they have had on all day. The Temple is aware that we are not going back to the hotel to change before services. 6. Do we have a recommended pre-trip reading list?
Here is a list. People not reading any of these will not impact their trip at all.“Just Mercy” by Bryan Stevenson
He is the Founder and Director of the Equal Justice Initiative“March” by Congressman John Lewis
This is a 3-part novel about the Selma to Montgomery March.The Taylor Branch trilogy about Dr. King: “Parting the Waters: America in the King Years 1954-63″ “Pillars of Fire: America in the King Years 1963-65, & “At Canaan’s Edge: America in the King Years 1965-68″
“The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness” by Michelle Alexander
“The Quiet Voices: Southern Rabbis and Black Civil Rights, 1880s to 1990s” by Mark Bauman and Berkley Kalin
“Going South: Jewish Women in the Civil Rights Movement” by Debra Schultz
“Troubling the Waters: Black-Jewish Relations in the American Century” by Cheryl Lynn Greenberg
1. Can my food issues be accommodated?
Most likely, we can accommodate vegetarian, vegan, peanut allergies, and gluten free diets. Participants do need to realize we are in the deep south and are taking advantage of local cuisine. People with dietary concerns are encouraged to bring their snacks and supplemental food that they can keep on the bus. 2. Do the hotel rooms have refrigerators in them?
Yes. There are mini fridges in the rooms. 3. How does lunch at Pizitz Food Hall work?
We give each participant money to use for lunch when we get to the food hall. 4. What are our dinner options on Thursday night?
There are plenty of options at the airport. Near our hotel there is every kind of fast food restaurant you could want. There is a good sit-down Mexican restaurant across the street from the hotel. That restaurant is called Los Mariachis and is located at 7794 Ella Lane.1. How big is the bus?
A full bus is 52 participants (not including the Etgar 36 staff). 2. Are there chargers on the bus?
Yes. Each seat has an outlet to charge phones etc. 3. Is there a bathroom on the bus?
Yes, and we will make scheduled bathrooms stops on long rides.4. Is there a bus that accommodates wheelchairs?
Yes. We do need to know as far in advance as possible to guarantee we have that bus available for your group. We also have buses that do kneel to the curb and/or we have a step we use to make getting on and off easier for those who need. We can also put a scooter under the bus.5. Will we have the same bus with us the whole time and can we leave things on it?
Yes. The driver will be on the bus the whole time, or it will be locked up overnight.