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Roy D. Warren Company,
Inc.
Mortgage Bankers
MORTGAGE LOANS
30 Pryor St., S.W.
JA. 3-6262
New Year Greet in an
to the Jewish Community
WINES
Produced and bottled in famous Richon-le-Zion. Israel
WORLD WIDE ACCLAIM SINCE 1872
Headquarters for
Rand Men's Shoes
Women's Miss Wonderful
Children's Poll Parrot
moved in. Brick floors were cov
ered with old rugs, stuffed deer-
head and owl were mounted on
the wall, and even an old rifle
hung above the fireplace. In one
room we saw a collection of fig
ures sculpted out of the sand-
smooth desert wood. Several chil
dren's paintings on the wall
evidenced junior retreats which
the Benedictines also welcome. A
small lake and a waterfall nurture
the huge shade trees and cool the
desert breeze. Arj outdoor picnic
area is equipped with chairs,
benches, and tables, and an in
formal stage. Facing the drive
way is a curio shop which was
closed while we were there.
Within half an hour after we
arrived, we began a planned
round of shared thoughts, scrup
ulously kosher meals and cere
monies. Seated over plastic plates
of fish and papercups of punch,
Rabbi Wolli Kaelter and Brother
Emanuel, Brother Benedict and
Rabbi Cutter, Father Gaeton and
Rabbi Joseph Smith listened to a
reading of the Book of Tobias as
part of the constant rehearsal of
Holy Writ which takes the place
of conversation at Benedictine
meals. The Benedictines, we were
told, have a deep and dutiful de
votion to the Book of Psalms,
since it is one of the vows of their
order to recite all 150 psalms
every week. They consider the
Psalms their book of prayer. As
such, it is their speciality. To
them, the Psalms are continued in
the Gospel, and they finish each
psalm with an expression of glory
to the Trinity. To us, as Dr. Lieber
explained, the Psalms themselves
are a continuation of the Torah,
and form an anthology of prayer.
On this basis, we met together
with them at 7:30 in the morning
in a fenced paddock . . . long-
monks in black, Jews in tallcsim
(prayer-shawls) and some of us
with the tfillin (phylacteries)
strapped on our heads and left
arms . . . and with the wind blow
ing ''manna” from the cottonwood
trees all around us, we created a
mosaic of sight and sound built
out of the reverent expression of
the psalms we cherished in com
mon, alternately chanting them in
Hebrew and in Latin, and joining
in reciting the English translations.
Rabbi Aaron Opher and Matthew
Simon led the reading; Father
David and I each led the chants.
Together, we dramatized the con
viction that Rabbi Gottschalk had
put into words the night before:
“Man is not alone—any more than
a tree could live in this desert
without water. Even here, water
is the substratum. On the spiritual
level too there is a substratum of
existence which we all need and
seek
But if the dialogue had stopped
with the broad areas of agree
ment our time would have been
pretty poorly spent. There were
times when rabbi and priest
groped for a bridge of understand
ing. And there were other times
when seven centuries of condition
ing had to be challenged.
Why, asked Rabbi Gottschalk,
does the Ecumenical Prounounce-*
ment on the Jews refer only to the
Jews of 1900 years ago, and ignore
the Jewish people of today and
their way of life? y
Brother Catellanos: “How can
the Jew live without grace?” To
this question, Rabbi Gruenberger
answered that once a , sinner re
pents he stops being a sinner; this
is the purpose of Yom Kippur.
But where is the social mani
festation of repentence? Father
Meehan wanted to know. The
Catholics have Confession. What
do the Jews have? To w'hich Dr
Lieber replied with the Jewish
view that God is different from
man . . . that it you wrong a man
you must make amends in public,
but if you sin against God you can
atone in your own heart.
On the other hand, Rabbi Paul
Dubin asked, what happens to the
wicked, in the Catholic view? And
Father Yang answered that unless
the sinner repents properly, he can
be damned to eternal punishment.
Later, the Prior confided his per
sonal belief that eternal damna
tion is almost wholly theoretical,
because it would apply to a man
who rejected God and all His
teachings. and I don't believe
there really is such a man!”
What about the question of
deicide? Whit about the Jewish
man in the street whose previous
contact with Catholicism was the
hurled epithet "Christ-killer!” Can
he possibly be impressed by this
new attitude toward the Jews'.’
And what about the Catholic who
may refuse to follow the new doc
trine'.’ Is there any penalty for
him?
It was Father Yang who ex
plained that the Pronouncement on
the Jews was simply a statement
of policy, reversing an edict of the
year 1215. Present-day Jews an
not mentioned specifically as one
of the "other religions" because
the Church considers itself the
“New Israel." spiritual successor
to the Patriarchs. The document is
not addressed to the Jews, but to
Catholics, making hate a sin. an i
calling on them to acknowledge a
700-year mistake.
Certainly there were difficulties
left unresolved, and there were
uncomfortable questions raised.
But m the spirit of the meeting, all
conversation was reasonable and
calm. Even subjects of hatred and
violence were treated witli sym
pathy.
Certainly there remain atroc
ities—like the priest who ministers
to a gang of Argentine nee Nazis,
acting as spokesman for them
while they harass, kidnap, and
mutilate in sadistic imitation of
Hitler. There are reminders of
medieval bigotry in the art within
European cathedrals, where thou
sands of devout worshippers every
year can stare at paintings of the
Synagogue in chains and the
Church triumphant.
But there is a breath of fresh
The Southern Israelite