Holocaust memorial rededicated at Pastoral Center grounds

By Sarah M. Barrett. Posted on 3/27/2009

BRAINTREE -- Representatives from many of Boston’s faith communities gathered at the Pastoral Center March 25 for the rededication of a Holocaust memorial menorah in what was described as a reaffirmation of the archdiocese’s commitment to the ongoing dialogue between Catholics and Jews.

Cardinal Walter Kasper, the Vatican’s chief liaison to the global Jewish community, was present at the rededication and called the memory of the Holocaust, “an unfinished agenda.”

“This memorial may remind us of the past, our common duty and our common responsibility for the future -- to work and pray for peace for the tortured region of the Holy Land, to work and pray for peace for the whole world...for this country and this city, and for us all,” said Cardinal Kasper.

The Yom Hashoah Menorah was presented to the archdiocese by Jewish leaders in 2002 and dedicated on the former Chancery grounds in Brighton.

The four-foot bronze Yom Hashoah Menorah depicts six men and women holding torches, representing the six million victims of the Holocaust, and a child and holy man clutching a prayer book set upon a cracked Star of David, inscribed with the years 1933-1945 and the first words of the ‘‘Kaddish,’’ a Jewish prayer of mourning the dead.

Among those present for the rededication ceremony were Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Methodios, Archbishop Cyril Bustros, eparch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church in the United States, Jack Johnson, executive director of the Massachusetts Council of Churches and both the Israeli and German Consul-Generals in Boston--Nadev Tamir and Friedrich Lohr, respectively.

Following the series of speeches, a candle-lighting ceremony took place. Survivors and their descendents, Cardinals Seán P. O’Malley and Kasper, Rabbi Eric Gurvis -- president of the Massachusetts Board of Rabbis, Catholic teens and representatives from the Anti-Defamation League took part in the memorial service. Then, two prayers were read: “El Maleh Rachamim” and the “Mourners’ Kaddish.”

The decision to move the Holocaust memorial to the new Pastoral Center in Braintree was proposed by Cardinal O’Malley at a February meeting with a group of local Jewish leaders angered by the Vatican’s decision to lift the excommunication of Bishop Richard Williamson, a Holocaust denier.

In his address, Cardinal O’Malley spoke on the significance of the menorah as a tangible symbol of the archdiocese’s commitment to remembering the victims of the Holocaust and its lessons for humanity.

“It is a way for Catholics of the archdiocese to recall their spiritual kinship with the Jews, to develop a positive appreciation of Jews and Judaism,” he said.

“It is a reminder of the necessity for Catholics of the archdiocese to commit ourselves to the study of the Holocaust in order to promote a spirit of repentance; it is a means to stimulate discussion, mutual learning, respect and commitment to working together; and it is a recognition of the spirit that has existed between local Catholic and Jewish communities for decades.”

Speaking for the Holocaust survivors present at the rededication ceremony, Israel Arbeiter, a survivor and president of the American Association of Jewish Holocaust Survivors of Greater Boston, expressed his gratitude that Catholics and Jews can, “stand together against those who, today, conspire to repeat history, even as they deny that very history.”

“Your Eminence, pain and suffering have been inflicted again on the holocaust survivors by a representative of the Church, namely Bishop Williamson, and inaction by Pope Benedict XVI,” Arbeiter said.

“I know that Pope Benedict, in the last few weeks, took steps in the right direction, to ease the pain caused to us by this irresponsible statement, but I believe that more can and should be done, by the Church and by the pope,” he said.

At a media availability following the ceremony, Arbeiter elaborated on what he believes can be done to dampen the effects of Williamson’s “irresponsible statement.”

“I believe that if the pope would come out and say ‘yes there were gas chambers, yes there was gassing and I can attest to it,’ I doubt that there would be any good Catholic that would come out and say (the pope is) a liar and not telling the truth,” he said.

Cardinal Kasper reiterated to reporters that Bishop Williamson had not been rehabilitated and that he would not be brought back into full communion until he fully accepted the teachings of the Second Vatican Council.

“A Holocaust denier can have no place in the Catholic Church,” he said.

Cardinal Kasper said it was “sad and incomprehensible” that the pope was not previously informed of Bishop Williamson’s denial and said that he was deeply saddened when he was informed of the fact.

Nancy Kaufman, Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston, said that it is often in times of crisis that relationships are strengthened.

“What we were most proud of here in Greater Boston was that as soon as (the recent crisis regarding the reversal of Bishop Williamson’s excommunication) hit the airwaves, we were able to contact His Eminence immediately on behalf of the Holocaust survivors and set up a meeting with them,” she said.

“I think even some of us here today remember when relationships between Catholics and Jews in Boston were not so good and we did not have the ability to have an open and honest dialogue,” said Kaufman.

“The ability to raise difficult issues like this one, to have the discussion, and then to agree that this was a very serious and sad situation speaks to the strength of this relationship.”

 Shalom from the Vatican  

A strange title for the Rabbi to share with his congregation, yet I write these words to you yes...from the Vatican! I am a participant for the next three days along with Temple Chai congregant Rich Rosen in the First Conference of Catholic-Jewish Relations held here in the Vatican. We have joined over 75 other representatives of churches and synagogues throughout the United States in examining how Jews and Catholics can build bridges of understanding and friendship. We are proud to be the only the participants from the State of Illinois.

After a nine hour direct flight from Chicago to Rome, our visit got off to a shaky start as we first tried to order off an entirely Italian menu at an outdoor cafe and later an authentic Italian pizzeria. Amidst a discussion of how much to tip the waiter and how much the meal costs in American dollars, our conversation soon turned to the excitement that awaited us and how thrilled and proud were to be part of this historic gathering..

We were not to be disappointed. Our opening session began with inspirational words provided by Father Michael Graham, the president of Xavier University in Cincinnati, who spoke of interfaith dialogue as a holy encounter; Dr, Alfred Gottschalk, President-Emeritus of the Hebrew Union College, who spoke of being taken in by nuns in a Catholic school in Germany after being expelled from school as a Jew by the Nazis; Stephen Levin, a trustee of Mt. Zion Temple in St. Paul, Minnesota, who described our need to dialogue as " getting reacquainted with members of our family" and Phil Webb Jr., Ecumenical Officer of the Diocese of Denver, who described the remarkable work done by the Catholic -Jewish Action Committee in Denver. The afternoon was highlighted by a key-note address by William Cardinal Keeler, former Archbishop of Baltimore and past president of the United States Conference of Bishops. He spoke of the churches need to do "teshuvah (repentance)" and acknowledging Anti-Semitism as a "sin against G-d and humanity".  The afternoon concluded with ascending seven flights of stairs to witness a remarkable view of St. Peters Square, which was a great photo opportunity for most of the group.

The next several days are filled with remarkable learning opportunities, including a visit with Jerzey Kluger, Pope John Paul's Jewish childhood friend from Poland who had a remarkable influence on his life, a meeting with Walter Cardinal Kasper, President, Office of Pontifical Relations with the Jews, and concluding on Wednesday with an audience with Pope Benedict XVI.

We look forward to sharing our journey of learning and discovery in the days ahead. Shalom from the Vatican....

All of our sessions on this the second day of the Conference were held at the North American College here in the Vatican. It is my understanding that this school is truly the "Harvard" of Catholic seminaries. One of the two highlights of the day actually occurred over lunch. We ate lunch in the dining room of the College, which on this day was overflowing with Catholic seminary students, visiting priests from around the word and several Archbishops and Cardinals. Rich Rosen, myself and Rabbi Abie Ingber, the Hillel Director at the University of Cincinnati and one of the leaders of the Conference, were joined at lunch by three remarkable seminary students. After comparing the seminary training of Rabbis and priests, the conversation turned to what inspired us to become priests and Rabbis. Imagine my shock when one of  the students said: "What was my inspiration to become a priest...it was a Reform Rabbi in my home of Washington, D.C.!!!". He spoke of his special relationship with Rabbi Irwin Blank, of blessed memory, of being inspired not only by Rabbi Blank's teaching, but sharing many a Shabbat meal in his home and attending many Shabbat and High Holyday services in his congregation. He was also at his side when he died, which the student said was on Purim, and he recited selections from the Book of Esther in his honor. This Catholic seminary student was also asked to sing "Oseh Shalom" at hid funeral. Whow!!! Rabbi Ingber, Rich Rosen and I looked at one another in awe. Catholic-Jewish dialogue...despite a very painful history, we were each overwhelmed by a sense of confidence in the future!!!

After lunch we shared in the second highlight of our day. We were honored to hear from Jerzey Kluger, one of the late Pope John Paul's closest Jewish friends from his native Poland. The close childhood friendship of these two remarkable individuals was to shape in many ways Pope John Paul's understanding of the Jewish condition, leading to his visit not only to Israel but to the Great Synagogue in Rome. With in a tear in his eye, Jerzey Kluger spoke of his reuniting with John Paul shortly after it was announced that he would become Pope. Now 87 years old, we all recognized that were standing in the presence of a man whose childhood friendship with the late Pope John Paul was to have a profound impact upon the future of Catholic-Jewish relations.

Another full day awaits us tomorrow, including a visit to the Great Synagogue of Rome. The late Pope John Paul's visit to this synagogue on April 13th, 1986 was a historic turning point in the history of Catholic-Jewish relations, marking the first time in the history of the Catholic Church that a pontiff had visited a synagogue.

We look forward to continuing to share our journey of learning and discovery with you. Shalom from the Vatican...

October 23, 2007

Day number three of our Vatican experience was filled once again with memorable experiences that we will always cherish. We actually had a few moments earlier in the day to step away from our daily dose of meetings with Vatican officials and sharing Catholic-Jewish dialogue stories and yes...do a little shopping! Rich and I were accompanied by Rabbi Jonathan Biatch from Temple Beth-El in Madison, Wisconsin as we made our way through many outdoor shops just outside St. Peters Square in the Vatican. We stopped at one spot to buy some rosary beads for Catholic friends. As we started to negotiate a fair price for our purchase, which is the custom of the place, suddenly the shopkeeper began to exchange a few words in Yiddish with Rich. Asking me if I spoke Yiddish I replied: "No...but I speak Hebrew". Next thing I know we are engaged in a spirited conversation in Hebrew!!! He tells me that he was originally from Ashdod, Israel and had been living in Rome for over twenty years. Of course, we had to take a picture together to commemorate the occasion!  In my many travels throughout Europe, I have never visited a country without finding someone who spoke Hebrew, but outside St. Peter's Square in the Vatican????

As we did on day two, Rich and I once again had lunch with three Catholic seminary students. We were joined at our table by another participant in our group, Dr. Alfred Gottschalk, past president of the Hebrew-Union College. I was ordained by Dr. Gottschalk in 1986 in Cincinnati. He had literally placed his hands upon my head in blessing twenty-one years ago and now I was sitting across the table from him in the Vatican as we talked with three Catholic seminary students. It was one of those "WHOW" moments! Each of these students could hardly recall ever talking to a Jew let alone a Rabbi. In addition to sharing stories as we had done the day before about our inspirations to become clergy, we openly discussed sensitive subjects in the Catholic Church, such as the possible ordination of women as priests and the role of gays and lesbians in the life of the Church. Dr. Gottschalk then spoke of his experience of ordaining the first woman Reform Rabbi as well as the first openly gay Rabbi. A fascinating conversation....

Finally...after lunch we visited the Great Synagogue of Rome. Under heavy security, which is the normal practice outside this synagogue after the terrorist attack in October 1982 in which one child was killed and many injured, we were warmly greeted by both the senior and assistant Rabbis of this magnificent congregation. Build in 1904 overlooking what was once the Rome ghetto which existed for over three hundred years, it was here that the late Pope John Paul made his historic visit in April 1986, becoming the first pope ever to visit a synagogue. All of us where truly in awe of this majestic structure...

Tomorrow morning we look forward to our audience with Pope Benedict. We are not quite sure what this will exactly entail, but we all know that it will be another one of those unforgettable memories that we will take away from our experience here. Tomorrow is also our final day here. This remarkable experience is soon to come to an end. We look forward to sharing one final "blog" with you, before seeing you all again in person. Shalom from the Vatican...

October 24, 2007

Remarkable indeed......Just as we relived the wonderful memories of the past three days, we just have to admit it even gets better on this fourth and final day. We arrived at the Vatican around 9 AM to another most pleasant weather day. As you can see, we were seated just to the right of the dais three rows from the front (just like being right over the home team's dugout!!!)  After sitting for about 1 1/2 hours waiting for Pope Benedict XVI to arrive, we had a chance to take many pictures of the massive audience of over fifty thousand also eagerly awaiting.

Well the wait was well worth it.....The "pomp and circumstance" was awesome.....Speaking to this HUGE audience, he greeted us in five different languages (thank  G-d, English being one of them) with the audience responding in yells and songs with each language greeting.  This went on for a long time with serious prayer in Latin as a blessed way to end this most impressive ceremony.

A few minutes after the ceremony's end Pope Benedict came to our area to personally greet many of the lucky people who sat along side of us. He appeared to be a kind and friendly man who enjoyed his interaction with our group. He spoke for a relatively long period of time to those seated in the first row and waving with a smile to the others in our area. AWESOME....especially with Cardinal Keeler, a  most cherished friend to our interfaith group, by his side.

Next and finally, our interfaith group marched over to a conference room where Cardinal Kasper met us, a gentleman whose Vatican mission was in working with interfaith relations.. We spent 45 minutes in informative dialogue centering round how we can better learn from one another with the doctrine of Nostra Aetate as the centerpiece to this learning process.

For the two of us this has been an exceptional experience.....one we will never forget. 

Arrivederci....Roma....the Vatican... to all the wonderful people we met...and wonderful places we visited!

                  Richard Rosen and Rabbi Hart       

First Catholic-Jewish lay conference in Rome aims to increase understanding
Phil Webb

Catholic and Jewish lay representatives from 25 U.S. communities recently met with Vatican officials in the first such conference to discuss current issues, develop greater understanding of each other's faiths and work more closely together on common concerns and problems. The meeting took place Oct. 21-25 at the North American College in Rome.

Ten members of the Denver Catholic Jewish Action Committee attended the conference in Rome, including Gale Kahn, area director of the American Jewish Committee and myself, Phil Webb, director of the Marriage and Family Life Office and the Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs offices for the Archdiocese of Denver.

The conference was organized by the Interreligious Information Center in cooperation with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Religious Action Center of the Union for Reform Judaism, the National Council of Synagogues and the Pontifical Council for Religious Relations with the Jews, Cardinal Walter Kasper and Father Norbert Hoffman. William Cardinal Keeler serves as honorary chairman.

Conference representatives presented Pope Benedict XVI with a Yom Hasoah menorah, commemorating the six million Jews lost in the Holocaust, at a Wednesday papal audience.

The 14-inch menorah, forged in bronze, depicts a half-dozen men and women holding six torches representing the Holocaust victims. A holy man in front is clutching a prayer book. The figures are standing on the base of a cracked Star of David inscribed with the years 1933-1945 along with the Hebrew words of the Kaddish, the Jewish prayer for the dead.

Pope Benedict urged Jewish leaders to expand their dialogue in America and thus encourage other communities throughout the world. The presenters told the pope that the enthusiasm for the conference by the 75 Catholic/Jewish participants has generated a desire for another conference, the development of educational programs for young people, and activities in which both faiths can participate.

After the papal audience, the group met with Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, who told the participants that his group was ready to help with their activities.

"The key to our future is education." he said. "The more people can understand the historic "Nostra Aetate" document from Vatican II and the other statements that have been issued by the Vatican, the more they will be sufficiently informed to discuss any issue that arises."

"We are friends in faith," he added, "and friends may agree to disagree but can do so in a friendly environment."