RESERVING A SPECIAL THOUGHT

As a firm believer that a special thought deserves a reciprocal special thought, I should like to communicate to Pope Francis, that just as he reserves a special thought for the Jewish community as he stood at the site of the former Vilna Ghetto the other day  on the 75th anniversary of its liquidation, so too do I reserve a […]

AUSCHWITZ CALLING

Predictably, the visit by Pope Frances to Auschwitz this past Friday was on the radar screens of more than a few Jewish organizations. Some of these organizations were hoping against hope that as result of this visit, the Pontiff will break with the policies of six predecessors dating back to immediately following the end of World War II and order […]

DON’T YOU THINK?

Forgive me if I come off as being less than enthusiastic. The recent visit of the Pope to the synagogue in Rome leaves me cold. Please don’t misunderstand; it makes no difference to me whether his Holiness pays a visit to a synagogue in Rome, Jerusalem or Munich. But if the Pope truly wishes to reach out to his “elder […]

THE CONVERSION BUSINESS

Earlier this month, the Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations with Jews issued a solemn renunciation: “the Catholic Church neither conducts nor supports any specific mission work directed towards Jews.” I have no idea how world Jewish leaders, both religious and lay reacted to this statement, basically telling us that the Catholic Church no longer has conversion of Jews on their […]

PAPAL MENTSCH

A week before Rosh Hashanah, Pope Francis made headlines that most leading newspapers were either unaware of, or simply chose to ignore. Pope Francis made headlines that had nothing to do with his upcoming trip to the United States. Pope Francis made Jewish headlines. Reuven (Rubi) Rivlin, President of Israel, was in Rome on official business. He was paying a […]