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Pope Receives Jewish Delegation

January 31, 1979
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A delegation of Mexican-Jewish leaders was received by Pope John Paul II at an ecumenical reception during the Latin American Bishops Conference in Puebla. The Pontiff expressed satisfaction over the “Hebrew-Christian dialogues.”

The Jewish delegation, which was one of a number of non-Catholic denominations to visit the Pope, presented him with a silver gift inscribed with the Hebrew date, Tevet 29, 5739. The group was headed by Enrique Elias and Sergio Nudelstejer, president and secretary general, respectively, of the Central Jewish Committee of Mexico,” and Rabbis Abraham Palty, Samuel Lehrer and Aron Kopikos. Others at the reception included Jose Benbassat, president of B’nai B’rith in Mexico.

A documentary television program on the Pope’s journey to Mexico was screened on national television, it was written by Valentina Alazraki, daughter of a well-known Sephardic family, and directed by Jocobo Zabludowsky, who is also Jewish.

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