Miami

Miami Rabbi and Pope Francis Share Special Bond

It would be hard to find a member of the clergy who doesn’t believe in the importance of interfaith relations. After all, who disagrees with Christians, Jews, and Muslims finding common ground and ways to understand and appreciate each other?

Few clergymen, though, are willing to do what Rabbi Mario Rojzman did, travel more than 5,000 miles, from Miami to Rome, to provide an incredible interfaith experience for his congregation.

“The powerful moment was to be in St. Peter’s Square and praying in Hebrew, a rabbi and the Pope,” said Rojzman, from Temple Beth Torah Benny Rok Campus. in Northeast Miami-Dade County.

Last month, Rabbi Rojzman brought a delegation from his temple to the Vatican, where Pope Francis blessed them, spoke to them, and asked this group of Jews to pray for him. The pictures are extraordinary, Rabbi and Pope, embracing, as Rojzman recited the Priestly Benediction.

“It’s a Judeo-Christian prayer, I said it in Hebrew, it was a great moment for me, and I hope a little moment for him, too,” Rojzman said.

So how did this Vatican meeting between the rabbi and Pope Francis happen? It starts back in their homeland, Argentina, where Rojzman was best friends with Bishop Justa Laguna. The two even co-authored a book together. Bishop Laguna was close friends with the Cardinal who would become Pope Francis, and when Laguna died, his friend and confidante, Rojzman, went to Rome to personally convey a secret message from Bishop to Pope.

“And he cried, I had my wife for a witness and I felt very moved by that encounter and I said it would be selfish if only me and my wife can benefit from that religious experience,” Rojzman said.

So fast-forward a few years, and Rojzman was back at the Vatican, this time with 47 members of his synagogue, greeting the Pope again.

“I said to him, Hi, I’m Mario Rojzman, the friend of Bishop Laguna, and he said Mario, hace tanto que no nos vemos, which means Mario, it’s been a long time without seeing you!” the rabbi said.

For the members of the synagogue, this was an experience none of them could have envisioned happening.

“The first word I say is surreal,” said temple president, Steve Scheck.

The second word might be, “inspire.”

“It meant so much to us, even as a Jewish congregation, to see how impacted he was by our presence there, and how impacted we were by his presence,” Scheck said, and described watching the Pope greet handicapped Catholic worshippers. “For the people in the wheelchairs he actually kneeled down to them, and it was so inspirational to see how he treated each person with respect, and each person mattered.”

Pope Francis went on to bless the visitors from Miami, and also to exchange pleasantries.

“When he learned that we are a very diverse synagogue with many people from Latin America, he said please take care of the immigrants, so at the end of the day, as a congregation, I feel we are fulfilling that,” Scheck said.

“And to be received with such generosity, this was a divine moment,” Rojzman added.

The rabbi is hoping the pictures of him and the Pope become a symbol for interfaith understanding, from temple to church to mosque.

“Learn from them, build society together, it will make us stronger,” Rojzman said.

If it sounds like the rabbi is paraphrasing scripture, well, that’s what the clergy does, from here to Rome. So will Pope and rabbi meet again?

“I don’t know, what I do know is that I’m still enjoying the moment, and this for me, for now, is enough,” said Rojzman.

As they say in Hebrew, dayenu, which means enough, for a lifetime.

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