Without knowing me that well, Melanie hired me to help organize the second JFREJ (Jews for Racial and Economic Justice) conference back in the early ’90s. Over the years, I had the opportunity to experience Melanie’s extraordinary wisdom and commitment on so many occasions. She was that rare combination of a deep thinker and a dedicated and effective activist and I never left an event where she spoke or a campaign that we worked on together where I didn’t learn something from her. I consider her both a mentor and a teacher and I will always be grateful that I had the opportunity to know her.
—John Berman