Lenny Zakim 1953-1999

Reflections from Lenny

No one present at Leonard Zakim's funeral at Temple Emanuel in Newton last week could fail to notice the array of disparate local and national figures present: Elie Wiesel, Cardinal Bernard Law, Minister Don Muhammad of the Nation of Islam, Senators Edward Kennedy and John Kerry. The diverse collection of mourners was no less varied than the subjects to which Zakim brought his sharp pen and prophetic voice -- anti-Semitism, black-Jewish relations, hate and bigotry, and, later in life, cancer. Following are selections from Zakim's written work that capture his beliefs and his activism. Though Zakim's life transcended his writings and speeches, they provide a glimpse into a man who helped make Boston a more compassionate, more tolerant city.

-- Seth Gitell

You Must Make a Difference
Taking Your Life Back
Defeating the Ambush of Hate
No Justification for Silence

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Excerpts from eulogies given for Leonard Zakim
Stephen Mindich remembers Leonard Zakim

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