A special commemoration ceremony was held today in memory of Jules Isaac, the noted French historian Known for his lifetime struggle against religious prejudice. The Mayor of Florence, Giorgo La Piza, has designated the day as “Jules Isaac Day.”
The ceremony was held in the magnificent setting of the Florence Municipal Hall in the “Palazzo Vecchio” in conjunction with the annual meeting of European societies for Christian-Jewish friendship. Participating in the meeting were the French Ambassador M. Berard, Chief Rabbi Jacob Kaplan of France and Chief Rabbi Toaff of Rome. Also present were representatives of B’nai B’rith, Alliance Israelite, the American Jewish Committee and Jewish communities throughout the world.
Jules Isaac’s books on anti-Semitism and early Christian teachings have made a deep impression on World Christianity and his meeting with the late Pope John XXIII in 1960 mark the beginning of discussions of suggestions now before the Ecumenical Council.
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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.