Sixty-six years after a meeting between leaders of the UJA-Federation of New York and Pope John XXIII helped usher in a new era of Catholic-Jewish relations, the federation’s leaders have returned to the Vatican.
Eric Goldstein, UJA’s outgoing CEO, was joined by over 30 leaders from the organization in a meeting with Pope Leo XIV on Monday at the Vatican Apostolic Palace.
UJA requested the meeting roughly four months ago, as Goldstein said he hoped to express the organization’s “concerns about the moment, and the importance of working with the Catholic Church as an ally in combating antisemitism.” (UJA supports a wide range of Jewish organizations in New York, including 70 Faces Media, JTA’s parent company.)
The new visit marked the latest outreach from Jewish leaders to build ties with Leo, who has condemned antisemitism on numerous occasions since he was elected last year while also sharply criticizing Israel’s actions during the war in Gaza, which he has referred to as “vengeance” and “barbarity.”
Last month, Chicago-based Rabbi Lizzi Heydemann met with Leo alongside a delegation of Chicago leaders and thanked him for “holding the humanity” of both Israelis and Palestinians amid the conflict.
The conflict did not come up during the UJA meeting, Goldstein told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in an interview following his return to New York City on Tuesday.
“The purpose of this meeting was to focus on antisemitism and the ability he has to make a profound difference around that, and how to act around that,” he said. “The purpose of this was not to air disagreements with the pope about Israel or anything else.”
During the meeting, Goldstein thanked Leo for “his continued moral leadership in speaking out and taking action against the sharply growing scourge of antisemitism – the world’s oldest hatred,” according to an account shared by UJA.
The account said Goldstein also urged that “we build a world where strangers are welcomed – and the strong bonds of friendship between Catholics and Jews continues to serve as a source of light and inspiration for all.”
The delegation offered Leo two gifts, a menorah that Goldstein told the pope represented “the light that communities united by shared purpose can ignite even in the darkest of times,” as well as a Leo XIV New York Knicks jersey that nodded to his support for his fellow Villanova University alumni on the championship team.
Goldstein said he also came with a specific appeal to Leo, asking that he consider appointing a “special papal envoy to combat global antisemitism.”
The Vatican has never appointed an antisemitism envoy. Since 1974, it has maintained the Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, now led by Rafael Starnitzky, a priest of the Diocese of Rome.
During the meeting, Leo praised UJA for its humanitarian work in “New York, the State of Israel and more than seventy other countries” and said its efforts “reflect a clear recognition of human dignity and fraternity, resonating with the Church’s own commitment to integral human development and the call to love our neighbor,” according to UJA’s account.
Leo also recalled the last time a UJA delegation had visited the Vatican in 1960, five years before Pope Paul VI issued Nostra Aetate, which rejected centuries of anti-Jewish theology in the church and transformed Catholic-Jewish relations.
“Sixty-six years ago, a delegation from your organization was received by Pope John XXIII. With the simple yet profound words ‘I am Joseph, your brother,’” Leo said. “Later, a treatise was prepared describing a new relationship between the Catholic Church and Judaism.”
Goldstein appears to be hoping that his meeting with Leo will plant seeds for a similar advance. He said he hoped to “see fruits from that meeting.”
“This is a challenging moment for our community, we all know that,” Goldstein said. “The level of antisemitism that exists in the world today, including very much in our own backyard, in New York, across America, is deeply concerning, and having the pope speak out, be active in addressing this challenge is extraordinarily important for our community.”
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