By Jesse Berman
Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) is being remembered as for his civil rights advocacy, his blunt and passionate speechmaking. and for working to build ties between African-American and Jewish communities in his district, the home for more than 30,000 Jews.
Cummings, 68, died Thursday morning in his home city of Baltimore, after “succumbing to longstanding health issues,” according to a statement released by his office.
I am devastated, both personally and politically, that we have lost this giant of a man at a time that our country needs him most,” state Sen. Cheryl Kagan (D-District 17) wrote on her Facebook page. She and Cummings served together in the Maryland House of Delegates before he was elected to Congress in 1996. “Rest in peace, Elijah. I loved you and will deeply miss you.”
“With the passing of U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, the City of Baltimore, our country, and people throughout the world have lost a powerful voice and one of the strongest and most gifted crusaders for social justice,” said Baltimore Mayor Bernard “Jack” Young in a statement. “Rep. Cummings, the son of sharecroppers whose ancestors were slaves, wasn’t afraid to use his considerable intellect, booming voice, and poetic oratory to speak out against brutal dictators bent on oppression, unscrupulous business executives who took advantage of unsuspecting customers, or even a U.S. President.”
It his role as head of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform and a major player in the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump, Cummings repeatedly clashed with the president.
Today, Trump tweeted: “My warmest condolences to the family and many friends of Congressman Elijah Cummings. I got to see first hand the strength, passion and wisdom of this highly respected political leader. His work and voice on so many fronts will be very hard, if not impossible, to replace!”
When the president referred to Cummings’ district as “a disgusting, rat- and rodent-infested mess” in July, Jewish community leaders and media outlets decried the president’s choice of words, and many spoke out in support of Cummings and his relationship with the Jewish community.
Cummings founded the Elijah Cummings Youth Leadership Program in Israel, now in its 20th year. As part of the program’s fellowship, African-American teens from his district spend two years taking leadership seminars and learning about the local Jewish community, including by studying black-Jewish relations and the Holocaust.
The program also sends a dozen sophomore high school students from Cummings’ district on a 3 ½ week trip to Israel, said Baltimore Jewish Council Executive Director Howard Libit. Libit praised Cummings for his role with the program and it was an example of the congressman’s efforts to build understanding and solidarity between the black and Jewish communities of Baltimore.
“The Baltimore Jewish community is in shock this morning to learn of the passing of Congressman Elijah Cummings,” Marc Terril, president of The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore, said in a statement. “He supported countless initiatives on behalf of The Associated’s network of agencies and was a powerful advocate for our work.”
Several national Jewish organizations issued statements on Cummings’ death.
Rabbi David Saperstein, director Emeritus of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, said Cummings “was a staunch advocate for racial justice and civil rights, working closely with the Reform Jewish community, in Baltimore and Washington, D.C.”
J Street, the liberal pro-Israel group called him “a vocal advocate for vigorous diplomacy, for the two-state solution and for the rights and dignity of both Israelis and Palestinians.”
And Jewish Democratic Council of America wrote, “We are devastated by the passing of Congressman Elijah Cummings, known to many as ‘the conscience of the House’
“Congressman Cummings was a man of deep justice, integrity and accountability,” said Rabbi Daniel Burg of Beth Am Synagogue in Baltimore. “He was a fierce advocate for fairness and the rule of law. But he was also a mensch, and someone who wasn’t afraid to display humanity and vulnerability for the world to see.”
Looking to the future, Rabbi Burg expressed concern about the hole in the country’s leadership opened by Cummings’ death.
“His premature death is a tragedy, for both his family and the United States at a critical moment in our nation’s history,” said Burg. “He has been at the forefront of the impeachment inquiry. His absence will be deeply felt, and he will be sorely missed.”
Jesse Berman is a reporter for the Baltimore Jewish Times. Contributing to this story were JTA News and Features and WJW Editor David Holzel.
