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In Synagogue, Contrition

KATHY SHAFRAN .

Special to The Jewish News

I

t's an apology of historic propor-
tions. And it resounded through
the sanctuary of Temple Shir
Shalom in West Bloomfield on
Shabbat evening Nov. 6.
A Catholic bishop stood at the
Temple's bimah, looked into a
crowd of hundreds of Jews and a
few dozen Catholics, and shared a
revealing message of regret from
Pope John Paul II.
"The church has
profound regret for
the Holocaust," said
Detroit-area Bishop
John Nienstedt,
speaking of the pope's
recent Apostolic letter
entitled: "We
Remember, A
Reflection on Shoah."
"And it is not mere
words," said Nienstedt, "but a binding
commitment that Catholics must
meditate on the catastrophe that befell
the Jewish people and never again let
selfishness sow the seed of hatred."
The bishop spoke to the primari-
ly Jewish audience at Shir Shalom as
the second of a two-part program
discussing the Pope's latest directive
on the Holocaust.
Last month, Shir Shalom's Rabbi
Dannel Schwartz began the program
by speaking at the Shrine of the
Little Flower in Royal Oak, the
Catholic church were Father Charles
Coughlin preached racial and ethnic
hatred 60 years ago.
Schwartz and Nienstedt and six ,
other clergy visited Jerusalem and
the Vatican last March. They were
invited by the Pope to discuss his
hopes for the new millennium.
In the pope's message, Nienstedt
said, the pontiff acknowledged that
c
"many Christians were involved in
this catastrophe, some actively, some
by doing nothing"
"We need to ask forgiveness for
any way an individual member of
the church contributed to the con-
text of Shoah," said Nienstedt,
"whether their actions may have
resulted in persecution of the Jews
or may have prevented a process
that would have stopped Hitler."
"This isn't just about the
Holocaust," said Rabbi Schwartz,

who followed the bishop to the pul-
pit at Shir Shalom.
"It's about moving into the 21st
century and dealing with 60 years of
Jews demanding the church answer
for the Holocaust, 60 years of Jews
asking why the church did nothing
to stop the slaughtering of innocents
when they knew it was going on.
"I will tell you," said Schwartz, "I
lost half of my family who I never
met in the Holocaust.
"Yet, I am amazed and I am
thankful that I lived
to see this day. Not
only is the Catholic
Church finally talking
about the Holocaust,
Schwartz said, "but
they're putting muscle
into their words."
Barely had Schwartz
and Nienstedt finished
their remarks from the
bimah when a young
Jewish congregant queried, "When
you say 'never again,' are you talking
about all Holocausts?" He continued,
"It seems to me the Catholic
Church, and the world for that mat-
ter, don't care much even today about
the genocides occurring around the
world."
The gathering of Jews and
Catholics at Shir Shalom dramatized
the need for education.
Schwartz said he hopes from here
will come a Holocaust curriculum
that will become part of Catholic
parochial school education.
"I never really knew much about
the Holocaust before, and so I'm
not so sure what I should be apolo-
gizing for," said Jeane Lambardi,
who came to the program from her
Clawson church because of her
desire to understand the culture of
her Jewish friends and co-workers.
"Now I'm more aware."
"It's clear we have many differ-
ences," said Nienstedt. "But
Christians and Jews have many issues
upon which they can work together."
"What I saw," said Father Jerome
Treacy of the Colombiere Center
near Clarkston, who had come to
Shir Shalom out of curiosity, "was a
good relationship between two men."
"I guess," he said, "we'll have to
wait and see if their relationship
translates into a flourishing trust
between Catholics and Jews." El

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Bishop Nienstedt
brings Pope's
Holocaust
apology to
Temple Shir
Shalom.

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11/20
1998

Detroit Jewish News

19