Breaching the Vatican walls

In my previous column, I reflected on the profound significance of the recent World Jewish Congress (WJC) executive meeting being held in the Vatican in Rome, the first time that a Jewish leadership gathering had ever been hosted in the capital and epicentre of the Catholic faith. For all my colleagues at the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) and internationally, it was an extraordinary privilege to have been part of this historic moment. However, perhaps no-one is better placed to comment on the meaning of the event than the current head of Italian Jewry, Noemi Di Segni. Her speech, which followed messages from WJC President Ronald Lauder and the Vatican’s interfaith affairs representative, Cardinal Koch, was a brilliant balance between building bridges and holding people accountable for the abuses and tragedies of the past. For the Jews of Rome, she said, the walls of the Vatican had always represented repression, separation, and hostility. To be inside those walls, as guests of the Holy See, told its own story of how much had changed. The way forward was now for both faiths to “graft new growth onto the roots of the past”.

This striking metaphor reminded me of South Africa’s own post-apartheid journey, in which fostering a culture of national unity to take the country forward necessarily goes hand in hand with accepting accountability for what happened in the past. To formalise the commitment of the Jewish world to reciprocating these overtures from the Vatican, the WJC is preparing a document, titled Kishreinu (Our Bond). This declaration, which is in the process of being finalised, lays out in powerful, beautifully written terms the mission to strengthen the bond between Jews and Catholics in pursuit of peace.

While overshadowed to some extent by the historically unprecedented setting and audience with Pope Francis, the WJC meeting itself dealt with some important issues for world Jewry.

These included the need to confront the rising influence of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions organisation on university campuses (in which area South African Jewry is able to bring its own extensive experience to the table); and promoting Jewish education and nurturing young leadership – an area in which the WJC has been strikingly successful. This was my first opportunity to attend a WJC meeting in person. One of the things that struck me was the enormous across-the-board esteem in which my predecessor, Mary Kluk, is held. Kluk first came onto the WJC executive over a decade ago in her capacity as SAJBD national chairperson. She now sits on the executive in her own right and for a long time, has headed up its important security committee. The status she enjoys on this very important body, combined with the role played by fellow executive member and former SAJBD national vice-chairperson, Marc Pozniak, and Alana Baranov in her capacity of member of the WJC Jewish Diplomatic Corps, underlines once again how much our relatively small community is punching above its weight on the global Jewish stage. At the same time, the connections we’re forging with our international Jewish colleagues continue to enhance our ability to fulfil our own core mandate of representing and safeguarding our community.

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