Noted rabbi to visit Naples

By Richard Price, CJD Committee member

On Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023, 2:30 p.m. at the Pulte Family Life Center, St. John the Evangelist Church (625 111th Ave. N., Naples), the Catholic-Jewish Dialogue Committee of Jewish Federation of Greater Naples and the Diocese of Venice will present Rabbi James Rudin.

Rabbi Rudin will review his highly regarded memoir, “The People in the Room, Rabbis, Nuns, Pastors, Popes, and Presidents” (available on Amazon). He will take us inside the Vatican, Camp David and a plethora of global encounters from his a lifetime of dialog.

Please RSVP to cjdialogue@naples.net so we can plan accordingly.

On Oct. 20, 2022, Rabbi Rudin was formally invested as a Papal Knight of St. Gregory, named by Pope Francis for his work on Catholic/Jewish relations. He is one of the few non-Catholics to receive this honor. Founded in 1831, only eight other Jews have been so honored in recognition of outstanding services or unusual contribution to the Catholic Church.

Rabbi Rudin

According to Rabbi Eric Greenberg, director of United Nations relations for the Simon Wiesenthal Center, “This knighthood comes at a critical time of growing antisemitism and clearly demonstrates the evolving positive relations between Catholics and Jews. Rabbi Rudin well deserves this historic, international honor.”

Rabbi Rudin is currently the American Jewish Committee (AJC) senior religious advisor and a founder and distinguished professor of the religion and Judaica program at St. Leo University, Tampa, Florida. He lives in Ft. Myers.

Th e author of 17 books, one of which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, he co-founded the National Religious Task Force on Soviet Jewry and Black Jewish Relations. He also served as a pulpit rabbi for two congregations and as a U.S. Air Force chaplain. He met with Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI 11 times and was guest of honor at the 1994 Vatican event commemorating the Holocaust.

The mission of the Catholic-Jewish Dialogue committee is dedicated to building community and strengthening Catholic/Jewish reconciliation through interaction and interreligious learning that transcends tolerance to build meaningful understanding of the “other.” The committee creates and presents programs for teens and adults in both Catholic and Jewish venues, challenging members of both communities to address and confront religious and ethnic prejudice. These programs are open to all.

CJD is looking for new committee members to attend monthly meetings.