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Chief Rabbis' Greetings to Pope
John Paul II Following are Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi
Yisrael Meir Lau's and Sephardi Chief Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron's greetings
to Pope John Paul II:
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem The people of Israel who dwell in
Zion and the Chief Rabbis of Israel welcome Pope John Paul II with the traditional
greeting: Blessed be your coming to Israel.
From the holy city of Jerusalem,
about which the prophet Zechariah said: "Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion...
And many nations shall join themselves to the Lord in that day and shall be
My people, and I will dwell in the midst of you." (Zechariah 2:14-15) We welcome
one who saw fit to express remorse in the name of the Catholic Church for the
terrible deeds committed against the Jewish People during the course of the
past 2,000 years and even appointed a commission for requesting forgiveness
from the Jewish nation with regard to the Holocaust.
We remember and mention to his credit
the decisive assistance he gave in the matter of moving the Carmelite Convent
out of the area of the Auschwitz concentration camp, a place where millions
of our brothers and sisters were murdered for the Sanctification of the Name,
sacrificed for the sole reason that they were "called by the Name of the Lord."
(Deuteronomy 25:10).
We appreciate as well his recognition
of our right to return to, and live in, the Holy Land in peace and brotherhood
within safe borders recognized by the nations of the world and especially by
our neighbors. All these things were given expression in the prayer he offered
at Auschwitz (June 11, 1999) for the success of the Israeli people's efforts
for peace.
We, the Chief Rabbis of Israel,
representing the Jewish People dwelling in the Holy Land, express our hope and
faith that the prophesies will be fulfilled, of Malachi: "Behold, I will send
you Elijah the Prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the
Lord," (Malachi 3:22), and of Zechariah: "Thus says the Lord: I return unto
Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; and Jerusalem shall be called
The City of Truth and the Mountain of the Lord of Hosts, the Holy Mountain…There
shall yet sit old men and women in the streets of Jerusalem, every man with
his staff in his hand for very age. And the broad places of the city shall be
full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof." (Zechariah, 8:3-5)
From Jerusalem, capital of the State
of Israel, and from Zion, the holy city, we pray that we may be granted a good
and long life, a life of peace and security, health and peace of mind, a life
of human brotherhood. May it be His will that the words of the prophet be fulfilled:
"Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war
any more." (Isaiah 2:4)
May He who makes peace in His heavens
bring peace to us and to all of Israel.
(Communicated by the
Chief Rabbinate Spokesman)
Jerusalem, March 20, 2000
They will prosper who love you
(Psalms 122:6)