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The life and legacy of Rabbi Randall M. Falk, MA’66, DDiv’69, a noted human rights advocate who left a lasting impact on the Nashville community, will be discussed on Wednesday, March 11, at Vanderbilt University.
The event, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 5 p.m. at Special Collections and University Archives, 1101 19th Ave. S. The discussion will be moderated by Dr. André L. Churchwell and feature Falk’s children, Heidi Falk Logan and Dr. Jonathan Falk, as well as Dwight Lewis, former reporter, editor and columnist for The Tennessean. A reception with light refreshments will follow.
Please register in advance to attend.
The March 11 program is part of Dialogue Vanderbilt’s “250 Conversations on America: Civil Discourse in Action,” a yearlong series celebrating our nation’s 250th anniversary and Vanderbilt’s enduring commitment to open dialogue. This event is hosted in partnership with the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries.
Falk was at the forefront of religious leadership in Nashville and made significant contributions to Jewish life, the civil rights struggle, community building among the city’s increasingly diverse population, and to Jewish-Christian relations. He served as senior rabbi of The Temple–Congregation Ohabai Sholom in Nashville from 1960 until 1986, when he was named rabbi emeritus.
Falk arrived in Nashville in 1960—an era when African Americans were attempting to integrate the city’s lunch counters. He challenged his congregation to view the civil rights battle as an extension of the struggles of Jewish people, leading clergy of different faiths on a march in support of equal rights.
An adjunct professor at Vanderbilt Divinity School, Falk’s collaborative teaching with his late friend and colleague Walter Harrelson, Vanderbilt Distinguished Professor of Hebrew Bible, emeritus, led to the publication of two books: Jews and Christians: A Troubled Family (1990) and Jews and Christians in Pursuit of Social Justice (1996). They also teamed up to teach a seminar on the topic in various cities.
Falk was a founding member of the Metropolitan Nashville Human Relations Commission, which later named him the recipient of its Human Relations Award. He was named Clergyman of the Year by the Religious Heritage of America, Nashville Chapter, and was also the recipient of the Human Relations Award from the National Conference of Christians and Jews, Nashville Chapter.
In 2004, members of the Vanderbilt and Nashville communities gathered to honor Falk’s life and work at an event hosted by the Divinity School. He was honored by the Jewish Federation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee during a Freedom Seder in April 2013. Falk died in 2014 at age 92.
Paid parking for the March 11 event is available along 19th Avenue South as well as in the Wesley Place Garage at 1921 Scarritt Place, directly behind the Special Collections and University Archives building.