The Nation - News from Jan. 9, 1989

Observances leading to the national holiday created in memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. began with an interfaith service held, for the first time, in a synagogue. “I think . . . it could not be a more appropriate place for this type service,” said Rabbi Alvin Sugarman, who presided over the service at the Temple near downtown Atlanta. In its 13th year, the interfaith service that traditionally launches the week of activities commemorating King’s life and nonviolent approach to social change is designed to bring together people from all religions. The service, which featured a sermon by the Rev. Joseph Roberts, pastor at the King family’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, drew leaders from Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Hindu, Moslem and Buddhist faiths and marked the start of events in Atlanta and Washington that lead to the federal holiday, which falls on Jan. 16 this year.