'He'd Say Kaddish for His Mother' (Lustiger)

Haaretz ^ | 8/7/07 | Daniel Ben Simon

[marshmallow]

One day Rabbi Rene-Samuel Sirat was invited to attend a lecture on the Holocaust, held in the amphitheater of the Sorbonne University in Paris. The speaker, a member of the Academie Francaise, moved the audience when he spoke of a Jewish girl who missed out on a golden opportunity to escape a concentration camp to remain near her parents. Eventually, she was sent to her death along with them.

"Next to me sat Cardinal Lustiger," the former chief rabbi of France recalled. "I glanced at his face and saw tears running down his cheeks. At that moment I knew he was remembering his mother, who suffered a similar fate at the Auschwitz death camp."

Lustiger passed away Monday aged 80. Born Aaron Lustiger, he converted to Catholicism when his Jewish German parents sent him to live with a French Catholic family during the Holocaust. He was ultimately appointed to the Church's most senior positions, and served as archbishop of Paris from 1981 until 2005.

On more than one occasion, Sirat met the cardinal entering Paris' main synagogue. "He would come to say kaddish for his mother," he said.

[APRPEH]

Truly amazing. A rabbi in any of the movements who claimed to be both Xtian and Jewish would be run out of town. How appropriate for Parshas Re'eh (Deut. Chapt 13)

Kaddish is a statement of faith in HaShem's control of everything at all times. Very weird...

[maryz]

Kaddish is a statement of faith in HaShem's control of everything at all times.

A cardinal who doesn't believe that is in the wrong line of work.

[APRPEH]

A cardinal who has to go to a synagogue and say it is in the wrong line of work.

[marshmallow]

A cardinal who has to go to a synagogue and say it is in the wrong line of work

He didn't have to go to a synagogue. Christianity has its roots in Judaism and Cardinal Lustiger likewise had his personal roots in the Jewish faith. He couldn't disown the Jewishness of his parents who never converted.

This is not an expression of confusion but of humility and love.

[maryz]

It apparently didn’t bother Rabbi Sirat — I can’t imagine why it bothers you.

[APRPEH]

"I could not remain indifferent to these pronouncements," said Sirat, who is currently on a visit to Israel doing research at the Jewish National and University Library. "Together with French rabbis, I harshly criticized the admixture he had made. One of the rabbis wrote in Le Monde that the moment they prove to him that a circle is square, he will accede to the definition that a Jew is the same as a Christian."

[maryz]

There’s no indication that his going to the synagogue to say Kaddish for his mother bothered the rabbi — no indication that it bothered anyone else who was there either.

[onedoug]

...the moment they prove to him that a circle is square....

Evidently that rabbi hasn't studied higher math.

[NYer]

Jean-Marie Cardinal Lustiger

.... continuation of the story .....

In 1981, several months after Sirat's appointment as chief rabbi, Jean-Marie Lustiger became archbishop of Paris. The two men became friends. They met frequently, but each time Sirat felt uncomfortable in the presence of the convert who had taken on the mantle of the Catholic church. On the day he was appointed by the Pope, Lustiger declared that he considers himself both a Jew and a Christian, and that he realizes his Judaism by being a devout Christian.

"I could not remain indifferent to these pronouncements," said Sirat, who is currently on a visit to Israel doing research at the Jewish National and University Library. "Together with French rabbis, I harshly criticized the admixture he had made. One of the rabbis wrote in Le Monde that the moment they proved to him that a circle is square, he will accede to the definition that a Jew is the same as a Christian."

Before his appointment in France, Lustiger visited Israel and even contemplated taking a church position here. He knew Hebrew and studied Judaism in depth.

"I was once asked on television what has to happen for Lustiger to be considered Jewish," Sirat said, "so I said that if he returns to the faith, I would even be willing to give up the chief rabbi's seat to him."

---

He walked in Christ's sandals. From the Maronite Divine Liturgy for the deceased ...

Receive, O Lord, the soul of Your servant
into Your Tabernacle of Light and allow him
to dwell in the Harbor of Blessedness. Give Your
servant rest in the glorious Bossom of the
Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that on
that great day of Your glorious Second Coming, we
may stand with him at Your right hand and
offer fitting praise to You, Your Father and Your
Holy Spirit, now and forever ... Amen!

[AnAmericanMother]

He didn't HAVE to go to shul to say kaddish.

He CHOSE to go out of respect for his parents. "Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long in the land the LORD has given thee."

I understand why this is uncomfortable to persons of the Jewish faith. Cardinal Lustiger is the living embodiment of the contradiction between Judaism and Christianity. But since Jesus was a believing Jew as well as (as we believe) the Messiah, to honor Judaism while being Christian makes perfect sense from the Catholic point of view. We are younger brothers of the Abrahamic faith, brothers by adoption. And even though our older brothers think that we have gone astray, we should treat them with honor and respect due our elders.

[Frank Sheed]

One of my favorite movies of the 60’s and one I remember well was “The Shoes of the Fisherman” starring Anthony Quinn. Quinn was a Cardinal who is elected Pope to his total astonishment. His story is akin to that of Pope John Paul II.

Quinn had been an ordinary priest and Bishop who had never been engaged in any “Vatican affairs.” In any case, he, like Pope Benedict, loved Rome and simply left the Papal Apartments to wander around Rome among the people. He finds an elderly man dying who is Jewish. The Holy Father had seen this many times as a young parish priest. The Pope closes his eyes and says the Kaddish for the man who dies with a smile on his face.

That scene is seared into my memory. That is what Cardinal Lustiger was doing. To think otherwise is to be totally uncharitable. Our Savior was a Jew; Lustiger’s parents were still Jews!

[dominic flandry]

What a beautiful prayer.

Thank you for the post.

[Mrs. Don-o]

And then today, wow! There was the Gospel from Matthew about Jesus and the Syro-phoenician woman.

Jesus says, "Really, I came for the Jews. I don't give bread to the dogs." And the goyish lady retorts, "True; but even the dogs eat the crumbs under the Master's table." Jesus --- it seems to me that he is impressed--- says, "Great is your faith! Bingo! You win the prize!" (That's from the MDDET: the Mrs.Don-o's Dynamic Equivalence Translation.)

Many interpret this incident that the bold Syro-Phoenician woman "converted" Jesus to see that His message was for Gentiles, too.

But maybe it's also there providentially for us? To remind us that we goyim are actually "under the Jews' table" and (like the anonymous lady with her wonderful mix of humility, faith, and boldness) we ought to always be properly mindful that our relationship to Israel is one of being petitioners and recipients of a gratuitous gift?

[maryz]

the Mrs.Don-o's Dynamic Equivalence Translation

LOL! Unless you can figure a way to channel the royalties to the USCCB, though, I guess we won't be hearing your translations at Mass! ;-)

[AnAmericanMother]

Yep, under the table with the dogs!

Good call!

[Mrs. Don-o]

Ooh, love those spooky Hound-of-the-Baskervilles eyes!

[AnAmericanMother]

She wants more crumbs! Now!

[NYer]

One of my favorite movies of the 60’s and one I remember well was “The Shoes of the Fisherman” starring Anthony Quinn.

Wonderful movie! Haven't seen it on tv in a long, long time.

[Tuscaloosa Goldfinch]

Love those labs — makes me miss Jack, who disappeared two years ago on Thanksgiving Day. Best most intelligent dog, hands down, ever.