BEHIND THE HEADLINES On Wednesday, the rabbi made history with the pope

The St. Louis Jewish Light
ST. LOUIS, Jan. 28 (JTA) — “They were happy to have a rabbi, and this rabbi was happy to be here,” said Rabbi Robert Jacobs, executive vice president of the St. Louis Rabbinical Association, after participating this week in a special religious service with Pope John Paul II. Jacobs, who last June celebrated his 90th birthday, had the honor of being the first rabbi in history to participate in a reading of Scripture at a religious service in a basilica in the presence of a pope. During the pope’s two-day visit to St. Louis this week, rabbinic and lay members of the Jewish community were extensively involved in the major programs on the itinerary. Including the rabbi — who read from Isaiah — in the pope’s visit was seen as the latest effort by the pope to reach out to the Jewish community. The pope has taken many steps to improve relations with Jews during his tenure, including establishing diplomatic relations between the Vatican and Israel, visiting Rome’s historic synagogue and holding a concert for Holocaust victims. Although the pope has often spoken about anti-Semitism and Jewish suffering during the Holocaust, a long-awaited Vatican document on the Holocaust issued last year drew some Jewish criticism for not going far enough in acknowledging the role of the Catholic Church in the Holocaust. At the prayer service on Wednesday, the pope said, “My friendship and esteem go also to those of all other religious traditions. In particular I recall my long association with members of Jewish faith and my meetings in many parts of the world with my Muslim brothers and sisters.” Other local clergy from the Eastern Orthodox, Protestant, Muslim and Hindu faiths were in attendance as well. Rabbi Mark Shook of Temple Israel, a large local Reform congregation long active in interfaith work, presented a banner on Faith Beyond Walls, a congregational faith-based volunteer action program designed to motivate, train and equip volunteers to work to improve health and quality of neighborhood life. Earlier in the day on Wednesday, the sound of the shofar opened a pre-Mass program at the Trans World Dome here. Alan Freed, a St. Louis lawyer and the music director of the Central Reform Congregation, blew the shofar at the Mass, which was attended by more than 100,000 people. Among the 95 non-Catholics invited to attend the service at the Cathedral Basilica was Anna Gruber, a Holocaust survivor who, like the pope, is from Poland. Gruber, who fled from the Nazis and moved to the United States, where she is active with the St. Louis Holocaust Museum, recalled that when the pope participated in a special service at the central synagogue in Rome, she was very moved. “When I read that a few years ago,” Gruber was quoted as saying, “I said, ‘You are a blessing. You are a blessing not just for Christianity, but for all mankind.’ ” During his visit, the Pope had a local Jewish physician on hand, Dr. Jeff Kalina, who is on the staff of Barnes-Jewish Hospital. There had been concerns about the pope’s health during his visit. The 78-year- old pontiff has been widely reported to be suffering from Parkinson’s disease, although the Vatican has not confirmed this. The 31-year-old Kalina, who received months of special training for his assignment, said the pope appeared to have “incredible strength.” He added, “I was in awe of him. He indeed has remarkable charisma and a marvelous presence, and it was a great honor to have been selected for this assignment.”