"The Cardinal Speaks Yiddish"

[ellenkushner]

E-mail from my mom:

The following commentary was given by Scott Simon on NPR radio,
Saturday morning, August 11, 2007:

There used to be a joke in Paris, "What is the difference between the
chief rabbi in France and the Cardinal of Paris?" Answer: The Cardinal
speaks Yiddish! Jean Marie Cardinal Lustiger was buried yesterday; he
died this week of cancer. He was born almost 81 years ago to Polish
parents who ran a dress shop in Paris. When the German army marched in
his parents sent him and his sister into hiding with a Catholic family
in Orleans. Their mother was captured and sent to Auschwitz.
In 1999 as Cardinal of Paris, Jean Marie Lustiger took part in reading
of the names of France's day of remembrance of Jews who had been
deported and murdered. He came to the name Gesele Lustiger, paused,
teared and said, 'my mama.' The effect in France during a time of
revived anti-Semitism was electric.

He was just 13 and in hiding when he converted to Catholicism, not to
escape the Nazis, he always said, because no Jew could escape by
conversion, and not of trauma, he said. Among his most controversial
observations, I was born Jewish and so I remain, even if that is
unacceptable for many. For me the vocation of Israel is bringing light
to the goyem. That is my hope and I believe that Christianity is the
means for achieving it.

There were a great number of rabbis who consider his conversion a
betrayal, especially after so many European Jews had so narrowly
escaped extinction. Cardinal Lustiger replied, to say that I am no
longer a Jew is like denying my father and mother, my grandfathers and
grandmothers. I am as Jewish as all other members of my family that
were butchered in Auschwitz and other camps.

He confessed to a biographer that he had a spiritual crisis in the
1970's provoked by persistent anti-Semitism in France. He studied
Hebrew, and considered emigrating. He said I thought that I had
finished what I had to do here, he explained and I might find new
meaning in Israel. But just at that time the pope appointed him bishop
of Orleans. He found purpose he said in the plight of immigrant
workers. Then he was elevated to Cardinal. The Archbishop of Paris.
Jean Marie Lustiger was close to the Pope. They shared a doctrinal
conservatism. He also battled bigotry and totalitarianism. For years
Cardinal Lustiger's name was among those who was considered to succeed
John Paul. Without putting himself forth, the Cardinal joked that few
things would bedevil bigots more than a Jewish Pope. They don't like to
admit it he said, but what Christians believe, they got - through
Jews.The funeral for Cardinal Lustiger began at Notre Dame Cathedral
yesterday with the chanting of Kaddish, the Jewish prayer for the
dead.

Comments

[buymeaclue.livejournal.com]

Oh, man. I heard that on NPR, and I totally lost it. Sob!

[farwing.livejournal.com]

Wow. That is amazing. Thank you for sharing this!

[sovay]

There was an excellent obituary for him in The Economist.

[lferion]

Oh, blessings be upon him.

Thank you for posting this.

[lauriemann.livejournal.com]

I was completely unaware of this story. What a fascinating piece of history!

[wolfsilveroak.livejournal.com]

I cannot imagine reading a list of the names and coming across someone you not only know, but was a member of your family.

[catwithclaws.livejournal.com]

thank you, very very much, for sharing that.

[catwithclaws.livejournal.com]

ah, lovely. you can listen to it at:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12712167&ft=1&f=1060

[pigeonhed.livejournal.com]

Fascinating. Its interesting to note that he was considered conservative and yet in many ways he was quite radical too. It seems that so often we judge people by their views on one subject and ignore or reject what they say on another as a result. This is just another form of bigotry. We are complex creatures and we have good and bad but from that article I would have to say that the Cardinal was a Good man. God bless him, as he blessed us all for having known of him.

[lisa-marli.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the post. He was a very intelligent man, even if he did go catholic on us. Probably wouldn't agree with him on tons of things, but that doesn't mean he doesn't deserve respect.
And being Jewish is so much more than just a religion. But it is hard to explain it to outsiders.
Or as my pagan daughter explained to the grandson who asked if he was Jewish "My mother is Jewish, so that makes me Jewish. And since I'm Jewish that makes you Jewish, too." Yep, she considers herself a Jewish Pagan.

[inanna.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for bringing this to my (to our) attention here. It touched my heart and soul.

[ellen-denham.livejournal.com]

Great story! I did not know that about the Cardinal.

[renakuzar.livejournal.com]

Some times us Catholics elevate the right people to Cardinal. He was a good man and we'll miss him much.

This was good to read.

[webcowgirl.livejournal.com]

*sniff*