2008 Woodie Awards
FROM THE DESK OF THE EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Have We Learned From the Pope's Passing?
Ari Fridman
Issue date: 4/18/05 Section: Editorials/Op-Ed
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It's ironic, or perhaps given Jewish history, it's not, that the week in which Pope John Paul II, a fighter of anti-Semitism, passed away, the Anti-Defamation League released an alarming survey that charged that 35 million Americans still harbor beliefs "unquestionably anti-Semitic." That figure, 14% of Americans, dropped from 17% in the last survey in 2002. The decline notwithstanding, the sheer existence of 35 million American who think anti-Semitic thoughts should scare us, not to mention prove that the ADL has no shortage of work ahead.
Still, in the Jewish community, the pope's passing, not the ADL's survey, rightly made the biggest impact. Officials like Rabbi Irving "Yitz" Greenberg, who has spent years warmly dealing with John Paul's Vatican, raved about the progress made in Jewish-Catholic relations principally because of John Paul's efforts. "Under his [John Paul's] direction," wrote Greenberg in The Forward, "the Vatican hit a theological trifecta: Affirmation of Judaism as an ongoing, valid covenant with God, diplomatic recognition of the State of Israel and admission of the Holocaust as a theological turning point (combined with acknowledgement that Christians need to repent for centuries of spreading hateful images of Jews)."
Appropriately so, Greenberg went so far as to say, "The historical record is clear: John Paul was the best pope in history for the Jewish people."
It this is indeed the case, I can't help but think back to an interfaith proceeding that happened right here in our backyard a few short months back. You may recall, I'm sure you do, that a delegation of Roman Catholic cardinals visited the Wilf Campus to see the sights and sounds of Yeshiva, and to meet with administrators regarding issues such as Islamic Fundamentalism. Recall also that a student-initiated petition opposing the cardinals' visit to the Beit Midrash caused such a stir that RIETS officials scrambled to gain last-minute concessions from the delegation so as not to offend the religious sensibilities of over 350 students.
Still, in the Jewish community, the pope's passing, not the ADL's survey, rightly made the biggest impact. Officials like Rabbi Irving "Yitz" Greenberg, who has spent years warmly dealing with John Paul's Vatican, raved about the progress made in Jewish-Catholic relations principally because of John Paul's efforts. "Under his [John Paul's] direction," wrote Greenberg in The Forward, "the Vatican hit a theological trifecta: Affirmation of Judaism as an ongoing, valid covenant with God, diplomatic recognition of the State of Israel and admission of the Holocaust as a theological turning point (combined with acknowledgement that Christians need to repent for centuries of spreading hateful images of Jews)."
Appropriately so, Greenberg went so far as to say, "The historical record is clear: John Paul was the best pope in history for the Jewish people."
It this is indeed the case, I can't help but think back to an interfaith proceeding that happened right here in our backyard a few short months back. You may recall, I'm sure you do, that a delegation of Roman Catholic cardinals visited the Wilf Campus to see the sights and sounds of Yeshiva, and to meet with administrators regarding issues such as Islamic Fundamentalism. Recall also that a student-initiated petition opposing the cardinals' visit to the Beit Midrash caused such a stir that RIETS officials scrambled to gain last-minute concessions from the delegation so as not to offend the religious sensibilities of over 350 students.