JERSEY CITY - People of all faiths gathered at Temple Beth-El on Friday night for the 32nd annual commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Clergy and public officials such as Mayor Steve Fulop, state Sen. Sandra Cunningham, county Freeholder William O'Dea and Councilman Michael Yun sat alongside regular members of the temple on Kennedy Boulevard.
"Dr. Martin Luther King means so much to me -- I get my identity as a man from Dr. King. He's helped me shape my existence," Jersey City Councilman Chris Gadsden, the West Side ward's first African-American councilman and the service's guest speaker, said. "To me it's all about advocacy -- about speaking up for the least of us, and just serving humanity."
The temple's connection with King began a month prior to his death, when -- while the civil rights icon was speaking at the nearby Metropolitan A.M.E. Zion Church in Jersey City -- Rabbi Samuel Berman led a march of Temple Beth-El members to the church to express solidarity with King's ideals.
On Friday, guest Rabbi Leana Moritt, alongside student Cantor Jennifer Benrey, led the Sabbath service in hymns and prayers from the Jewish faith.
"This temple has been like a second home to me," said Evelyn Malzberg, a local resident who's been attending the temple since 1963 and has gone to each year's MLK tribute.
Gadsden shared with the audience his passion for the lessons he learned through King's speeches and sermons.
"We're all still talking about Martin Luther King Jr., and we're still talking about his principles because the truths and ideas he taught ... these things are eternal," Gadsden told the audience to rousing applause. "And you cannot stop eternal truths from living on."