Four Jewish philanthropists, all from the Greater Boston area, have contributed $25,000 each for the construction of four chemistry laboratories at Brandeis University here, it was announced here today The donors are Ollie A. Cohen, Jacob E. Margolis, Morey Hirsch, and Frank Brezniak.
The laboratories will be housed in one of two chemistry buildings in the quadrangle, which is expected to be completed by the summer of 1965. Also to be constructed in the quadrangle are three physics buildings, two biochemistry buildings, a mathematics building, a biology building and a science library. of our pastoral duties, we remind the Council that the declaration is inopportune; We ask that it either be dropped or included only among the acts of the Council.”
FRENCH CARDINAL REBUKES ARAB ARGUMENTS; SAYS JESUS WAS A JEW
The Vatican’s press spokesman reported that only one or two among the 2, 500 fathers in the Council applauded Cardinal Tappuni. Bue he was answered immediately by Cardinal Lienart. “Although the opportunity for the declaration is being contested because of political tensions, ” said Cardinal Lienart, “it has no political implications. It should be kept as it is because it has ecumenical and pastoral purposes.
“If we want to appeal to all Christians we cannot forget that Judaism is the origin of all Christian churches, that it has formed them. We are all sons of Abraham. We have in common the Old Testament and the history of salvation up to Jesus, Who chose to be a Jew–and so were His mother and the apostles. Therefore, we must treat the Jews with reverence.”
“It is pastoral duty to state the truth about this matter. Saint Peter and Saint Paul did not consider the Jews as lost people, since they had received God’s promise–and God maintains them. Applying this in practice, let us avoid everything that could be interpreted that we consider Jews as ‘blamed’ people. Let us not say that they are ‘deicides.’
He concluded by referring to the Council of Trent, which had “stated clearly that Jesus died for the sins of mankind and that it was all the sinners in the world who killed Him. ” He said he would bring in proposals for amendments of the draft declaration in writing.
ITALIAN ARCHBISHOP SAYS TALMUD INCULCATES CONTEMPT FOR NON-JEWS
A contrary view was expressed by Cardinal Ruffini, archbishop of Palermo, Italy, one of the leaders of the conservative bishops opposing absolution of the Jews from the deicide charge. He said he also opposed calling the Jews “deidices, ” since “God cannot be put to death. ” “However, ” he continued, “the Jews also should love Christ. Jews also should be reminded to love Christians, and this has not always been so in the past. ” He then charged that Talmudic texts “inculcate contempt for all non-Jews.”
At a press conference this afternoon, Msgr. John Oesterreicher, an American theolotian acting as an advisor to the Council, pointed out that “there are many and very controversial opinions discussed in the Talmud, ” rejecting Cardinal Ruffini’s Talmudic interpretation by implication. In general, it was reported, Cardinal Ruffini’s comments–especially his interpretation of the Talmud–caused cardinals considerable surprise among the Council Fathers.
The bishop from Palermo was followed by another Italian, Cardinal Lercaro, who took an opposite point of view. The basic reason for the need of a declaration on relations with Jews, he stated, “has nothing to do with the last war, nor with any humanitarian nor with any political motivation. Its cause is purely religious and spiritual, and comes from within the Church that is looking deeper into herself now and into her essential mystery.”
CUSHING SAYS CHRISTIANS WERE INDIFFERENT TO NAZI KILLING OF JEWS
In voicing his request for the complete absolution of Jews of the blame for the Crucifixion of Jesus, Cardinal Cushing told the Council: “Christ died freely for all men because of the sins of all men–Jews and Gentiles alike–whom all had crucified and are still crucifying. We must condemn every attempt to justify hatred, to justify inequities and persecutions as Christian actions.
“We have all seen in our times the evil fruit of such attempts. No Christian theological or historical reason implies hatred, inequities or persecution of Jews. We should really think whether it would not be just to confess humbly before the world that Christians have often failed to live up to Christ in their relations with Jews.
“In this age of ours, how many Jews have suffered and died because of indifference, because of silence. There is no need to enumerate the crimes committed in our times against them. If not many Christian voices were lifted in recent years against this great injustice, let our voices humbly cry out now, ” the Boston cardinal urged.
Cardinal Ritter told the Council he greets the declaration on relations with Jews “with joy. ” “It is an opportunity, ” he said, “to repair the injustices of the past centuries. Last year’s text is better than the one before us now because the newer version has several weaknesses. Its style recognizes apparently only halfheartedly or close relations (with Jews) and our common patrimony. It has certain omissions and ambiguities; in some places, what is not said is more eloquent than what it does say.”
Cardinal Leger, of Montreal, told the Council that the importance of the declaration on Jews “should be obvious to all.” The Council, he said, must make it clear it is not speaking only of Jews today but of Jews as such everywhere, in space and in time.”
Today’s strong endorsement of a fresh stand on the declaration, bringing it closer to the Bea version of last winter, was presaged by Bea himself last Friday, when he introduced the subject before the Council. He made it clear he wanted revisions of the latest draft.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
