Founder of Wallenberg Foundation Nourishes Ties Between Jews and Catholics

July 8, 2004

Source: ZENIT

https://zenit.org/2004/07/08/nourishing-the-ties-between-judaism-and-catholicism/

On July 8, 2004 ZENIT reported, "As the 18th international meeting of the Catholic-Jewish Liaison Committee was closing in Argentina, ZENIT interviewed Baruch Tenembaum, an Argentine-born Jew who established the Raoul Wallenberg Foundation and the Angelo Roncalli Committee. The Wallenberg Foundation was named after the Swedish diplomat who helped save tens of thousands of Jews from the Nazis during World War II. The Angelo Roncalli Committee recognizes the work of diplomats who risked their lives to save Jews persecuted by Nazism. At the time of the interview, Tenembaum was traveling in Israel." The article went on to print the text of the interview. A sample question: "Q: How are the programs related to the Wallenberg Foundation dedicated to paying homage to the saviors of humanity and those promoting interconfessional dialogue? Tenembaum: Both have as their common denominator the famous phrase: 'And thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.' It was no accident that the dictum was the inspiration of Hillel and later of Jesus. The saviors are the light, the personification of the concept of the Messiah, understood as the opportunity that each one of us has to do good, to do something for our neighbor. Hope is the concept that unites both Jews and Catholics. Love, solidarity and courage placed at the service of one's neighbor are like the water that runs down from the mountain to fertilize the sowing and allow it to prosper. This allegory alludes to the need for us all to come down to the plain, to the level of the common people, and not stay on the heights, with those who see the world from on high."