64 Friday, June 6, 1980

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Priest Outlines Vatican Complicity in Holocaust

By DR. MILTON
STEINHARDT

"Vatican Diplomacy and
the Jews During the
Holocaust 1939-43," by
John F. Morley (Ktav) 'is a
book about the observers,
not the victims or aggres-
sors. It is about the Vatican
diplomats who were
charged with preventing
the Holocaust.
The goal of the Vatican,
as enunciated by Pope Paul
VI, was that it "must be con-
cerned with the problems of
peace, progress, and
spiritual, moral and mate-
rial good of the -.entire
human family." The author
therefore proceeds with
calm objectivity to note the
gap between the professed
principles and the actual
reality of the Holocaust.
He deserves high praise
for his restraint, fair and
scholarly presentation. His
approach is particularly
persuasive because it is the
first documentary and re-
search study chronicling
specific events, names and
locations that were just re-
leased from the Vatican,
dispensing the general rule
of a 75-year delay.
For these reasons this
volume would make an
excellent text on the
Holocaust, and would
also expose the obscene
claims of those who try to
deny or dilute its signifi-
cance.
Because the focus is not
on the victims but on the
reaction of the observers,
the effect on the reader is
more profound as the events
unfold in their stark reality.
Morley was ordained as a
priest in 1962 in Belgium.
He earned his doctorate in
Hebrew culture at New
York University. He is a
member of the Ecumenical
Commission of the Archdio-
cese of Newark and of the
sub-committee on
Catholic-Jewish relations.
He teaches The Holocaust"
at Seton Hall.
Morley discusses the Vat-
ican relations in each
Nazi-occupied country, in-
cluding France, Slovakia,
Poland, Romania and Italy.
The Vatican response to
the Holocaust in all the
lands occupied by Germany
as a comprehensive process
was to,
• Declare that the Vat-
ican concerns-itself with
religious matters and will
not interfere in economic
or political issues thus, in
effect, ignoring the
humanitarian aspects of
the harsh racial laws.
• When the deportations
and massacres could no
longer be viewed as politi-
cal, the "Holy See" con-
cerned itself with saving
baptized Jews and Jews

married to Christians, with
particular emphasis on the
religious education of their
children.
• The other concern of
the Vatican was to save the
lives of those Jews who
rushed to conversion to

'DR. MILTON
STEINHARDT

avoid deportation. As laws
were enacted to make all
conversions after 1933 in-
valid, the Church was
"heroically" insisting that
all conversions are binding
any time. Since the Vatican
itself referred to "deporta-
tion as being certain death,"
the implication was that it
is permissible to liquidate
non-converted Jews.
As to the significance of
conversion, it was de-
scribed as "the divine
grace using such human
motivation to accept pro-
vidential purposes." This
statement gives subtle
divine approval to the
Nazi atrocities and
genocide. Such anti-
Semitic sentiments were
expressed by Slovak
bishops in April 1942,
blaming the "tragedy of
the Jews to the death of
Jesus on the cross" and
echoed the age-old view
of Jews as "Witness
People" who must suffer
for rejecting Christ.
They called "Jewish
influence pernicious in the
economic, financial, cul-
tural, and moral spheres."
• Another stereotyped
Vatican reply was: "We are
doing everything that can
be done to alleviate the suf-
fering of the unfortunate
Jews."
• When the worst of the
Nazi atrocities was corn-
mon knowledge throughout
the world and partiCularly
to the Vatican, the subtle
technique employed was to
request verification. This
deferred any action until it
was too late.
• Another response
was the rationalization:
Our protests may make
the Nazis more angry and
cause reprisals. "We have
to act with 'deliberate re-
serve.' "
• Another typical ploy
was: "We cannot protest
strongly as it may interfere
in future needed interven-
tions."
• _ A standard reply was
referred to in papal corre-

spondence. It starts out
thus: "The Holy See is con-
cerned with the suffering of
the unfortunate Jews and is
doing everything possible to
alleviate" etc. . . .
As for each occupied
country, there were certain
specific characteristics that
affected the relations to the
Vatican:
Poland was refused a
special Papal envoy,
most likely because the
urgency was greatest
there and the Nazis
feared exposure and ver-
ification of the cre-
matoria.

Slovakia and Croatia had
strong Catholic traditions,
and the Jews could have
been saved if the Vatican
had used its prestige and
influence.
In France, Marshal Pe-
tain could have been influ-
enced by the Vatican. Un-
fortunately, the Nuncio
even encouraged anti-
Jewish laws, stating, "Jews
should not have authority
over Christians and should
be excluded from the profes-
sions — and should wear a
special garb." Nuncio Val-
eri in France counselled
"prudent delay and
enlightened reserve."
In Italy, the Nazis did not
wish to embarrass the Pope.

Italy had many converted
Jews, and the population
was not hostile as in the
other countries.
In Romania, the Vati-
can's ire reached the
highest pitch when the
Nazis rounded up Jewish
girls destined for pros-
titution because it was
"sinful" — but the same
voice remained muted
when thousands of
others were consigned to
certain death.
Towards the end of the
war there was a deliberate
attempt to avoid recording
sensitive and perhaps in-
criminating data, and spe-
cial requests were noted
"not to mention our conver-
sation." There is no doubt
that Sec. Maglione who
exercised overall authority
had daily contact and con-
sultation with the Pope —
whose pro-German bias was
common knowledge.
One may categorically
state that the Pope never
lodged any strong protests
about the Nazi atrocities. At
no time did he object, or
mention specific in-
humanities. He was content
with platitudinous
generalities that no one
took seriously.

It is reported that when
the Nazis rounded up

Roman Jews for deporta-
tion, after the SS had col-
lected 50 kilograms of gold
on the promise to save them,
the Pope requested that the
deporting' process be done
quickly in order not to em-
barrass him.
In many instances
when the local
authorities were repelled
by the cruelty of anti-
Jewish civil laws in
France and Italy, the
Nuncio assured them
that the "Holy See would
not utter a word of disap-
proval."
When
the
Allies
requested the Pope to join in
a declaration against Nazi
atrocities in December
1942, he refused, claiming
"lack of objectivity" and a
preference to act "pri-
vately."
Another sad commentary
is the Vatican's violent
anti-Zionist attitude and re-
fusal to help Jews to 'escape
to Palestine. This refusal to
help Jews trapped in Hit-
ler's inferno was tan-
tamount to a death sen-
tence.
Here is a quote from Sec-
retary Maglione: "Palestine
as a homeland would dis-
please Catholics and pro-
vide the justifiable protest
of the Holy See." He urged
American bishops to oppose

,

a Jewish homeland as
"harmful to Catholics who
would fear for their rights if
Palestine were occupied by
a majority of Jews."
Though Rev. Morley,
the author of this volume,
is very restrained and
sincerely searches for all
exonerating circum-
stances to explain or jus-
tify the Vatican position,
the substance is' a shock-
ing "J'accuse" re
iniscent of Zola in t
Dreyfus scandal, We
quote, "It must be con-
cluded that Vatican dip-
lomacy failed the Jews
during the Holocaust ...
by pursuing a goal of re-
serve • rather - than
humanitarian concern.
The Nuncio, the Vatican
Secretariat of State Mag-
lione and most of all the
Pope share the responsi-
bility for this failure."
This reviewer, on the
basis of the overwhelming
evidence, may venture the
thought that if Christ were
to judge the events of the
Holocaust, and call as wit-
nesses some of the French
and Polish Catholics who
clamored for -help — he
would place the Pope and
his Secretary Maglione on
the docket with Eichman
and other Nazis as co-
defendants.

Ktav-Published Book of Jewish Customs

"glatt kosher" is of recent
origin. It was first intro-
duced into the United
States by the Zeliner
Hasidim. It serves as "a
codeword for absolute kas-
hrut" and replaces the de-
signation "kosher lame-
hadrin min hamehadrin"
(Kosher even for those who
are extra kosher").

By ALLEN WARSEN

"The object of this book is
to trace wherever possible
the date of origin of various
religious customs and to fol- -
low their development
through the centuries. This
project is of more than aca-
de/tic interest. Its perspec-
tive of time is frequently in-
valuable in the discovery of
the rationales of various
rituals. These inevitably re-
flect socio-religious condi-
tions of the period when the
customs came into exist-
ence."
The above passage from
the "Preface" of, Rabbi Ab-
raham P. Bloch's "The Bi-
blical and Historical Back-
ground of Jewish Customs
and Ceremonies" (Ktav)
states the book's objectives.
Divided into 14 chapters
and subdivided into smaller
units, the book describes
and examines the customs
of the major and minor holi-
days, the major and minor
fasts, and the daily prac-
tices and observances.
The book's leading chap-
ter "The Life Cycle" com-
mences with birth and con-
cludes with mourning ritu-
als.
The midrashic maxim
"The whole world rejoices
when a child is born" is the
text's introductory verse. In
ancient times this joy was

that he could find no-
basis in the Talmud for
the blanket prohibition
of uncovering one's head.
However, he alleged that
public opinion in this
matter was so strong that
one must defer to it even
in the privacy of his -
home."
Significant are the follow-
Enlightening are the ing Simhat Torah facts:
The name Simhat Torah
author's explanations of
certain customs of light., was introduced in the Mid-
ing the Sabbath candles: dle Ages.
Hakafot were first ob-
The woman covers her served in the 16th Century.
eyes with her hands when
The children's proces-
reciting the benediction for
the following reason: "If the sion with flags dates from
woman were to recite the the 18th Century.
Meaningful are the sym-
benediction prior to the
lighting, she would no bolic Purim customs:
The names of Haman's 10
longer be permitted to light
the candles because her sons written on 10 separate
Sabbath would begin im- lines in the Megilla sym-
mediately upon the conclu- bolize their 'physical and
sion of the benediction. She moral collapse.
must of necessity light the
The elongated "vav"
candles first, and then pro- Vitizatha (name of
nounce the benediction. By man's 10th son)
screening her eyes from se- bolizes "the pole upon
eing the light, she symboli- which the 10 sons were
cally retains the sequence of strung up."
111011k
.
benediction and perform-
The noisemakers or: _-
ance."
nated in the 14th Century.
. What is the origin of the At that time Jews of Prove-
practice of covering one's nce and France "used to
head? We do not know. write the name of Haman on
Neither the Bible nor the stones. When Haman's
Talmud - prohibit name was mentioned by the
bareheadedness. According Megilla reader, children
to Rabbi Bloch the practice erased it by rubbing stones
is the result of evolution. against each other. Thus
However, by the 16th Cen- the spirit of the biblical in-
tury the practice had be- junction to erase the mem-
come generally accepted.
ory of Amalek was fulfil-
Importantly, "Rabbi led."
"The Biblical and Histor-
Solomon Luria (Mahars-
hal), an independent ical Background of Jewish
scholar who traced the Customs and Ceremonies"
talmudic sources of reli- is well-researched, well-
gious customs, asserted written and illuminating.

:

ALLEN WARSEN

combined with a deep con-
cern for the mother's and
child's survival. It was then
believed that the Torah
postponed the rite of cir-
cumcision to the eighth day
to prevent "sickness and
mishap."
Chronologically, the rite
of circumcision preceded the
giving of the Torah by 400
years. Important is
Josephus' statement in An-
tiquities 1:2: "And they cir-
cumcised him (Isaac) upon
the eighth day, and from'
that time the Jews continue
the custom of circumcising
their sons from that number
of days."
It is well to remember
that the term "kosher" does
not appear in the Torah. In-
stead, it uses the designa-
tions "clean" and "unclean."
Neither does the Bible pro-
vide for professional
slaughterers (shokhtim).
Even in talmudic times
there were no "shokhtim."
Either the butchers per-
formed the rite of "shehita,"
or they "engaged other
people to do it for them."
Historically the label

'