Shalom,
It was wonderful to see so many of you during my last trip to Stamford, and it was great for us all to be in shul together. As I flew east toward Israel, Tehilah flew toward the west and we met in Rome, Italy. Tehilah and I always wanted to visit Rome, and the promise of this beautiful city did not disappoint us. We are having an amazing time, touring the city, meeting Italians, and enjoying the well-known spectacular Italian cuisine. There are so many choices in Rome for the kosher traveler, It becomes difficult not to indulge, and I expect that we will probably have to go on a diet soon!
Jews and especially Israelis are probably the only people who are accustomed to stumbling over antiquities on every street corner, or walking around stones which are thousands of years old, We felt right at home. Every day we quickly visit the monuments and ancient sites making sure we leave enough time for another opportunity for fine dining. On Shabbat we are planning to attend services at the ancient Great Synagogue of Rome, where the dim outlines of bullet holes are still visible from a terrorist attack decades ago. Security is tight, especially since history was made there again this week. Just a few days ago the Pope, Benedict the16th, crossed the Tiber River and visited the Synagogue for the first time. It is the fourth time that a Pope has visited any synagogue and the second in this particular one. The first time took place in 1986 with the previous Pope, John Paul the 2nd. The purpose of the visit was to show that the Vatican is committed to continue the dialogue and the relationship with the "older brothers" of the Church, just as Pope John Paul the 2nd also did during his tenure. Benedict the 16 was warmly welcomed by the community, represented by a delegation from Israel including Knesset members and rabbis, headed by the Chief Rabbi of Italy, Rabbi Di Ciney, the president of the Italian Jewish Communities and the head of the Jewish Community in Rome.
However, some segments of the community declined to participate and banned the ceremony. According to the protesters, including the former President of the Italian Jewish community and the President of the Italian rabbinate, they excluded themselves to protest the fact that the Pope is embracing a radical sect of Christianity, among them, many priests who deny the existence of the Holocaust. Furthermore, the Pope is facing the criticism of the Jewish world for fostering the process of the elevation of Pope Pius to sainthood, despite his silence in the face of Nazism, and his reluctance to save Jews during World War II. The Pope's visit this week adds fuel to the already existing controversy. In his speech, Pope Benedict said that coming to the synagogue is "an additional step in the path toward harmony and friendship between Jews and Catholics.
In spite of the problems and the challenges there is a spirit of much respect and dialogue between the believers of these two religions." If you wish to know more about this topic, Jewish-Catholic relations, you can ask our own Rabbi Ehrenkranz, who was so involved and instrumental in advancing dialogue and reconciliation. Of course, to do so in the coming year will require a trip to Israel, as he and Sandy are currently residing in Tel Aviv.
But you cannot visit Rome and focus only on synagogues, so today we went to see the Vatican. We took a tour called "The Vatican from a Jewish Perspective," and we were surprised to hear from the guides just how deep the roots of Judaism are within the Church, and within the magnificent works of art that are on display everywhere. It was a fascinating and very informative experience. As we are sitting in the sun in the beautiful Piazza of St. Peter, I cannot help but think that I have witnessed such indescribable richness and wealth, all using magnificent art and architecture to demonstrate political, religious, and social power. I am reminded of the ways that such power can corrupt, and of all the wrong that was done in the name of religion, especially to gain control over other people who might believe differently.
I hope that we as Jews, who have been the victims of this abuse all too often, will never forget that misuse of power, and do everything we can to avoid making the same mistakes of our "younger brothers." May the dialogue and reconciliation continue!
Shabbat Shalom and ciao from Rome
Cantor Arik Wollheim
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