Among the possible people listed to succeed Pope Francis, who died this week at the age of 88, is Italian-born Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the 60-year-old Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, who has lived in the Holy Land for more than 30 years.
Given the circumstances, Pizzaballa, who has made no secret of the fact that he speaks to Hamas, could well play an important diplomatic role if elected as the next pope. As an authority in and on the Middle East who has had access to a series of leaders within the region, he could be a key player in efforts toward Middle East peace.
Period of remembrance days
■ THIS WEEK and next are periods of remembrance for Israel and the Jewish people worldwide. Almost immediately following Holocaust Remembrance Day comes Remembrance Day for the Fallen of Israel’s Wars, which this year will be linked with all the deaths ensuing from the vicious Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern communities close to the Gaza border.
Remembrance is a very important part of Judaism, Rabbi Marc Schneier, founder of New York’s Hampton Synagogue, told the congregation at Jerusalem’s Yeshurun Synagogue on the last day of Passover. He emphasized that there are 559 instructions or references about remembrance in the Torah. He told the congregants that after centuries of hopelessness, persecution, inquisition, exile, pogroms, the Holocaust, and more, this generation has returned hope, honor, and dignity to the Jewish people.
His appearance, together with that of cantor Netanel Hershtik, whose magnificent voice is heard every week by Hampton congregants, was well advertised in the media, as well as on billboards in different parts of the city.
Accompanied by the Neimah Israel choir, conducted by Marc Temerlies, Hershtik was in wonderful form and sang both familiar and relatively unknown melodies.
It was heartening to see that a lot of young people attended the service. This was most obvious in the crowded synagogue foyer, where some lingered outside the chamber following Yizkor (the remembrance prayer for departed loved ones).
Yaakov Finkelstein speaks
■ ON THE the afternoon of the same day, Yaakov Finkelstein – who last month was appointed Israel’s ambassador to Poland – spoke to fellow congregants of the Or Hadash synagogue, previously known as Shir Hadash, on Emek Refaim.
Rabbi Maury Kelman, the congregation’s spiritual leader, engaged Finkelstein in a pleasant conversation, asking pertinent questions in a relaxed, friendly manner.
Poland is less anti-Jewish than most other countries in Europe because it is essentially a homogeneous nation with a policy of not admitting immigrants from most Middle Eastern or African countries, Finkelstein told his audience.
Crisis situations between Poland and Israel derive from the different narratives the two countries have about the Holocaust, and these differences will continue to give rise to tensions until some happy medium can be reached, he explained.
It cannot be denied that Poland has the largest number of Righteous Among the Nations. While Israel says Poles aided and abetted the Nazis, Poland admits that some Poles did but insists that many more Poles sheltered Jews or helped them escape.
He said that the Jewish community in Poland is amazing and growing. Jews are discovering their roots and choosing to live Jewish lives. Not all who choose to do so take on religious observance, but they identify as Jews. Some are just discovering their Jewish origins, and others are gradually coming out of the so-called closet and admitting to being Jewish.
Finkelstein’s mother and grandmother were born in Poland. His grandmother spoke Polish and Yiddish to his mother, so the language was familiar to him.
This is his second stint in Poland. He was previously a cultural attaché, during which time he learned to speak Polish fluently. He has had a variety of positions within the Foreign Ministry and has also served elsewhere in Europe, Africa, and India.
It is very important to learn the local language as an icebreaker anywhere, but particularly so in Poland, where it is a sign of respect to the host country, he said.
All his children were born or conceived in different overseas places in which he served.
Technology has interfered with the work of diplomats because foreign ministers of different countries now text each other by WhatsApp, Finkelstein lamented. But there is still a need for professional diplomats to have one-on-one meetings with influential people in their host country; and just as it is important for Finkelstein to convey Israel’s story to the Poles, it’s equally important for him to convey Poland’s story to the Israelis, he clarified.
Gil Hoffman's son is a volunteer paramedic
■ PEOPLE WITH strong Jerusalem Post connections are taking great pride in the achievements of their children and grandchildren. Former long-time political reporter Gil Hoffman’s son, Amichai, a senior high school student at the Pelach School for Boys, has been volunteering with Magen David Adom (MDA) for the past three years as a paramedic in an ambulance team.
During the past year, he also taught a course to other paramedics. MDA considers him to be an admirable volunteer who, from among youth paramedics, has attended to the most calls for aid and always arrives in a good mood and with a pleasant countenance, which helps patients feel less tense and anxious.
Dropping out to keep Shabbat
■ ANOTHER JERUSALEM Post connection concerns Tal Veeder, the 16-year-old son of former In Jerusalem editor Nechama Veeder, whose mother, Shirley Zauer, worked as a copy editor at the Post. Tal was in Houston last week with the team representing Israel in the world robotics competition.
Selected to compete in the finals, the team, which not only represented Israel but also represented the religious school attended by its members, had to bow out because the finals were held on Shabbat.
Competing on Shabbat doesn’t bother most athletes, probably because relatively few are religiously observant. But it bothered these young students, who decided that it was better to keep the faith than to win a contest. A fine example of not having to worry about tomorrow’s leaders.
