Alabama, which killed four young black girls. It shook the fabric of our society, broadly, not only in birmingham, but in the country. And celebrating the joy and value of life during the jewish ritual of kever avot. Visiting the grave of loved ones. Religion ethics newsweekly is provided by the lily endowment dedicated to its founders interest in religion, Community Development and education. Additional funding also provided by mutual of america, designing customized, individual and Group Retirement products. Thats why were youre retirement company. Welcome, im bob abernathy, its good to have you with us. There were major efforts this week to prevent a u. S. Military strike against syria. Secretary of state john kerry began meeting with russian officials to explore a possible agreement with syria, to turn over its chemical weapons to international supervision. Earlier, president obama maintained his support for a strike, but asked congress to delay voting on it so the diplomatic talks could take place. Religious groups around the world, meanwhile, ramped up their opposition to u. S. Military action. At the vatican, thousands joined pope francis at a prayer vigil for peace. And in washington, Cardinal Timothy dolan, head of the u. S. Bishops conference warned against a military strike. Weve learned the hard way, violence spurs more violence. Most times, its the innocent people. Many of them, they pay the worst price. Kim lawton, our managing editor joins me to talk about the moral considerations regarding syria with william galston, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in washington. Bill, welcome. What would be so bad about saying okay, were not going to send any missile strikes into syria. And you, give up all your chemical weapons in return . Isnt that a pretty good deal . At the end of the day, those two issues may be linked. But right now, as secretary kerry has rightly said, it is only the threat of force that has brought the syrians to this point. A point that they have resisted for decades. Have not been a signatory to the Chemical Weapons Convention until, until the past few days. So that it is unrealistic to foreswear the use of force, unless and until an agreement can be reached that achieves the objectives. Part of the issue for those who supported the military strikes, was that its not just a deterrent. To prevent this from happening in the future. But it would also have been a punishment to show assad and anyone else that the world will not tolerate that if there was a diplomatic settlement, does that in some way lessen the moral consequence of doing those kind of acts . In a way, it does. And thats on one side of the moral scales. On the other side of the moral scales, is the fact that the use of force is always from the moral point of view, a last resort, once you initiate the use of force, not only will there be inevitably collateral damage, civilian deaths, but also unintended consequences. So with all of that on the other side of the scale, if we can really achieve the internationalization and then the destruction of these terrible weapons that theld a c, then i think thats a very, thats a defensible bargain, but were a long way from having reached that point, unfortunately. Bill, ha happens if the diplomacy does not work . What happens if it goes on and on and on . In my view, the president and the secretary of state would be well advised to make it clear that this is not going to be an unending diplomatic process. Were not going to get sucked into a morass that leaves us months from now in the same place that we are now. And the president , i think should make that crystal clear, whether he should issue an u ultimatum with a date certain, ill leave to others to determine. But he has to leave open the possibility of an openended negotiation. President obama said we have to act this is who we are, its what makes america exceptional. And the russian president said hey, its dangerous to say were exceptional, god created everybody equal. What rule does this american exceptionalism, this idea that were special play in foreign policy. American exceptionalism is an idea with a very long history and it has to do with the religious basis of the country. With our institutions, with our special history. With the universal principles that we stand for. But right now, practically, american exceptionalism means that the peace is secured through the presence of American Power around the world. For example, the freedom of the seas is guaranteed by the United States navy in a way that in the same way that in a previous century, it was guaranteed by the british navy. And if we were to stand down, or move back, the result would not be spontaneous peace. It would be anarchy. If you, if you like somalia, somali pirates, you would see a lot more of them absent the u. S. Navy. So american exceptionalism means right now that were the only country with the ability to deter a bunch of bad guys if doing a bunch of bad things in all sorts of different areas. But bill, quickly, does that mean we have a responsibility to intervene any place in the world where dictators are doing bad things to their people . Absolutely not. The president has made that point clear. But the fact that we have neither the responsibility nor the capacity to intervene everywhere doesnt mean that we have the right to intervene nowhere. We should do what we can, consistent with possibility. Bill galston of the Brookings Institution, many thanks to you. My pleasure. In other news, faith groups were among those who marked the 12th anniversary of 9 11. At an annual unity walk in washington, members of different religions came together to promote interfaith understanding. The day included visits to several houses of worship, and prayers led by a Diverse Group of clergy. There was also a Large Community service project. Where people prepared food for local food banks. Pope francis this week stressed the need for dialogue between believers and nonbelievers. The popes comments came in a letter published in italys popular paper, la republica. One of the papers founders, an atheist, had written a letter to the pope asking if the god forgives those who have no faith. The pope responded gods mercy knows no limits and those who do not obey god must obey their own consciouses. The pope made another statement, saying atheist who is do good can be redeemed. As congress returned to washington, religious leaders renewed their push for comprehensive immigration reform. A group called the Interfaith Immigration Coalition announced 40 days of prayer, fasting and advocacy. At a ceremony in the u. S. Capital this week, the congressional gold medal, the nations highest civilian honor was awarded posthumously to four young black girls who were killed during the bombing of a birmingham, alabama church, 50 years ago. On september 15th, 1963, less than three weeks after the march on washington, members of the Klu Klux Klan set the bomb to go off sunday morning, at 16th Street Baptist Church. Kim lawton has our special report on the impacts of that event then and now. Its sunday morning at 16th Street Baptist Church in birmingham. Sunday school is finished and the 11 00 Worship Service has just gotten under way. Today, the youth choir is singing. This is how things were supposed to go on that sunday morning, 50 years ago as well. Then a bomb made of at least ten sticks of dynamite exploded, killing four young girls inside the church. It shook the very fabric of our society. Broadly, not only in birmingham, but in the country. Because of four little girls dressed in white for sunday school can be blown to pieces because of hatred, everyone has to stop and think where are we going as a society . The bombing came amid ongoing racial turmoil in birmingham, and across the u. S. At the beginning of 1963, reverend Martin Luther king jr. Had decided to make birmingham the center of a new Nonviolent Campaign to end segregation. For years, many birmingham churches had been fighting segregation under the leadership of reverend fred shuttlesworth. But the largely middle class 16th Street Baptist Church had not taken an active role in that effort. Glenn eskew is professor of history at Georgia State university and author of the book but for birmingham. When king arrived in birmingham to join in the demonstrations that had been organized with reverend shuttlesworth and the local movement, he was surprised to find the 16th street baptist was not one of the movement churches. Because shared baptist connections, keng persuaded 16th streets pastor, reverend john cross junior, to let him use the church as his headquarters for civil rights rallies. Then in early may, 16th Street Church became the staging ground for a series of demonstrations featuring students, some as young as Elementary School age. The children gathered in the church and then came out singing and marching. They were met with police dogs and fire hoses, hundreds of young people were arrested. Their bravery inspired adults to join in and the mass protests created a huge challenge for the city. In the wake of the demonstrations, white leaders in birmingham had agreed to begin dismantling segregation. By late summer of 1963, africanamericans were starting to be hired in some local businesses. But most controversial of all were new efforts to integrate public schools. With tensions in the city high, 16th street baptist was trying to return to business as usual. Having gone through the demonstrations in the spring of 1963, it had become seen as a symbol of that successful protest movement. But the congregation itself had not completely embraced the protests and wanted to go back to a kind of normalcy. Reverend Carolyn Mckinstry was 14 years old in 1963. She had marched in the childrens crusade that may, and was at 16th street baptist on the morning of september 15th. She and her friends had been in sunday school and were getting ready for the Worship Service. We were especially excited because it was youth sunday. This meant that we were in charge of everything. Mckinnstry remembering chatting with four friends in the restroom. Then because her job was to collect the sunday school reports, she headed up to the Church Office just before 10 20. The phone in the office was ringing. So i went in and answered it and the person on the other end, the male caller on the other end said three minutes. And just as quickly as he said that, he hung up the phone. So im holding all of these materials and i just began walking and i take about 15 steps into the sanctuary and then this bomb just explodes. The explosion ripped through the side of the building, blew out the granite foundations, the bomb itself having been placed under an outside staircase going up to a second story landing and door. When i first heard the windows crashing in and it felt sort of like the earth shook, the building moved or something, and then the windows came crashing in and i heard screams. There was significant structural damage and multiple injuries. Then, amid the chaos, came the more devastating news, four girls had never made it out of the restroom. Addie mae collins, carole robertson, and cynthia wesley, who were all 14. And denise mcnair, who was just 11. I knew so clearly that it could have very easily have been me. Freeman hrabowski is the president of the university of maryland, baltimore county. He had lived in birmingham and was 12 that year. He had also marched and been arrested in may. It was like war, because the point was, if a church can be bombed and little girls killed, no ones safe anywhere. In the aftermath of the bombing, blacks and whites clashed in the streets. And before the day was over, two young black men had been shot to death. The bombing shocked people outside birmingham, especially because it had happened amid optimism after the successful march on washington, less than three weeks earlier. That exercise of true democracy that had just transpired was really shattered by this explosion in birmingham. And for many in the nation, it awoke them to just how difficult this task was going to be. But it also galvanized people in the north and the south to lobby even harder for the civil rights act. Which was signed into law the following year. Hrabowski attended the Funeral Service that was held for three of the girls in his church, sixth avenue baptist. I saw people of all faiths there. It was the first time i had ever seen somebody white in my church. And there was this long line of these people who were devastated. And there was something about that that was was tronz formative for me, to see that whites cared about little black girls. King preached the funeral sermon. Telling the crowd that suffering can bdend the means to ultimately bring light into darkness. And dr. King looked at these mothers and said, life can be as hard as steel. He was saying all we have is god and our faith. Cant explain this, all we can do is pray. And that, that was the essence of what we all had to say. Suspects affiliated with the Klu Klux Klan were identified within days of the bombing. But the fbi closed the case five years later with no indictments. Robert chambliss was finally convicted of murder in 1977. Two more men were also eventually convicted in the case, the last one not until 2002. Mckinstry grew up to be a baptist minister and wrote a book called while the world watched. My focus is just forgiveness, reconciliation, restorative justice, learning number one, to put the past behind, to forgive. But also learning, looking for those times when there may be a way to restore justice and hope. As the nation marks the anniversary of the bombing, many say the real message must never be forgotten. Weve changed, so dramatically in the past 50 years. But we need to be aware that humans are capable of all kinds of things. And that we must forever guard against this kind of violence from taking place. With the help of many donations from around the world, 16th Street Baptist Church reopened in june 1964. The events of 50 years ago still resonate with the youth here. They didnt know that the bomb that they put in this church was going to make such a big deal that it ended segregation, basically. 16th Street Baptist Church has been designated a World Heritage site. But pastor arthur price junior says they dont want to be defined only by their past. We embrace our history and we see it as a opportunity to tell people about the grace and glory of god. How god in his providence spared this clutch so they could have a story to tell about his goodness and his mercy. He says the Church Continues to stand as a national testament to how tragedy can indeed turn into triumph. Im kim lawton in birmingham. Now, belief in practice. This week, a special commemoration within the jewish High Holy Days with end this weekend with yom kippur, the day of atonement. Its called kever avot and celebrates the joy and the sanctity of life. It immediately precedes visits to the graves of peoples loved ones. Rabbi david wolpe of sinai temple in los angeles, was our guide. Kever avot is a service that we conduct at the mortuary, the cemetery each year, that aalthoughs people to come and have a Memorial Service that precedes their visiting the kever, that is the grave of their avot, of their ancestor, its done during these ten days, because Rosh Hashanah really celebrates the beginning of the world, its a time more of joy and discovery of wonder and then you move gradually and selfexamination to the deep contemplation of yom kippur. The shofar is kind of an alarm clock for the soul. We in particular blow it at this service because death is a very important theme in terms of the zest and goodness with which we live our lives. The kever avot service reminds everyone, you dont have forever, either. One day someone will come here and be mourning for you. So knowing that your time is limited in this world, use it wisely and well, and with a certain amount of sanctity and holiness. The greatest gift that those whom we have lost, those who have died have given us, is a chance to understand their lives so that ours might be better. How we will be remembered is in our hands, as long as we are here, because not only can you change your future, you can change your past. Please rise for the mourners kaddish. The kaddish is the jewish, basically prayer for the dead. Its when youre in mourning, you say the kaddish. [ speaking Foreign Language ] it makes no mention of god. It just talks about the greatness of god. But there is a very beautiful interpretation by a rabbi who says what the kaddish really is, is what the dead would say to you if they could speak from where they are. That is, theyve experienced gods greatness after death, and they want the living to know. The el malei rachamim, which literally is god full of mercy, says and i will give tzedekah, i will give charity on behalf of the person who has died. There are other times of the year when individuals may go to see the graves of his or her an sestors, but in terms of doing it as a community, this is the one time of the year when we gather together and you will see literally hundreds of people walking into the cemetery and it reinforces the great truth, that everybody has lost. And you cant live without losing and theres some comfort in seeing all of these people also grieving for those whom theyve lost. One of the things thats remarkable about memory is when you lose someone, your relation to them continues to change. That is its a living relation, even with somebody who is not there, because their legacy unfolds in you and you understand new things as time goes on. Repentance sometimes involves an acknowledgement of all of your heritage. What people have wanted for you, how you were raised, the debts that you owe to the dead in a sense. Am i living in a way i was taught to live by the people who raised me. And also, do i remember them the way they deserve to be remembered . Both of those very powerful themes come together at this time. It is a jewish tradition to ask forgiveness from somebody who has died. You ask forgiveness of god. Of other people, and then of people who arent there to be able to ask any more. The tradition of leaving a stone on a grave is a beautiful one. Stones endure and flowers fade and we think of the soul as being enduring. To the extent that your behavior determines your fate, and selfreflection and thought and prayer can help you change your behavior, this is the time of year to do it. Because this is the rare time when you actually have dedicated moments to think, to reflect, to meditate. It doesnt happen very often in our lives. And so i think that this really is our chance to change who we are and therefore, to change what becomes of us. On our calendar this week, wednesday night begins the sevenday jewish festival of the feast of tabernacles, jews recall their ancestors 40 years of wandering in the desert. By building a fragile outside structure called a succah, which they use for prayers and meals. Finally, in line with pope francis many gestures celebrating simplicity, he accepted this week from a priest in northern italy, the gift of a used stickshift 1984 renault, with 186,000 miles on it the vatican says francis intends to drive it himself and that he does know how. Thats our program for now, im bob abernathy. Can you follow us on twitter and facebook and watch us any time on the pbs app for iphones and ipads. And visit our website, where theres always much more, including audio and video podcasts of this program. Join us at pbs. Org. As we leave you, vocalist vanita washington performs press on as the congressional gold medal ceremony, honoring the four girls killed in the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church. Just press on major funding for religion ethics newsweekly, is provided by the lily endowment, an indianapolisbased private family foundation, dedicated to its founders interest in religion, Community Development and education. Additional funding also provided by mutual of america. Designing customized individual and Group Retirement products. This is why were your retirement company. Barry kibrick today on between the lines, an actress and comedienne who transcended her disability and continues to encourage othersgeri jewell. Welcome. Im barry kibrick. Geri broke new ground in hollywood when she became the first person with a visible disability to have a Primetime Television role, as cousin geri on the facts of life. Years later, a new generation was moved by her remarkable performance in the acclaimed series deadwood. Now, with her candid memoir, im walking as straight as i can, geris inspiring story gives us a rare glimpse of true courage and perseverance. Linda ellerbi