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Pope Uses Hebrew to Bless Palestine Jewish Soldier in Italy

July 20, 1944
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The story of how the Pope blessed a Jewish soldier in Hebrew was told in a letter which arrived here today from the front in Italy.

Visiting troops, the Pope asked the soldier where he was from. When the soldier replied that his home was Palestine, the Pope raised his hand and greeted him with the words: “Yevorechacha adonai voishmerecha” — the traditional Hebrew blessing from the Old Testament (Numerals VI 24-6) meaning: “May God bless you and keep you.”

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