As part of the yearly Day of Judaism that the Roman Catholic Church organises since 2008, Cardinal Willem Eijk, Archbishop of Utrecht, Monsignor Ron van den Hout, bishop of Groningen-Leeuwarden and bishop-referent for Church and Judaism Monsignor Herman Woorts visited the synagogues of Enschede and Groningen. The two shuls are the biggest Ashkenazi shuls in The Netherlands.
Monsignor Van den Hout gave a lecture in the synagogue in Groningen. The presentation of the cleric was about the importance of tradition in our time. The theme this year of the Day of Judaism was ‘ledor vador’, literally: in every generation, and stands for ‘passing on tradition’. In organising this gathering, the diocese of Groningen-Leeuwarden saw an opportunity to reflect about this topic. The bishop expressed interest to attend a Shabbat prayer service in Groningen in the near future. It will be the first time that such a high Dutch Roman-Catholic cleric will be present at a Shabbat service.
As part of the Day of Judaism, Cardinal Eijk visited the Jewish Community of Twente at its synagogue in Enschede on January 17th, 2018. At this gathering, the theme was the meaning of passing on tradition both in Judaism and Christianity. Cardinal Eijk was accompanied by Monsignor Woorts, Bishop-referent for Church and Judaism on behalf og the Dutch Bishops’ Conference. Both he and the cardinal look ‘back on this meeting with gratitude’, says Monsignor Woorts.
Referring to the police detail in front of the synagogue Mr. Frank Overweg, president of the Jewish Community of Twente, said: “It is important that we join our efforts to prevent antisemitism, so that the same destiny never awaits other minorities ”. The New antisemitism needs to be prevented and that starts with education – “many children in countries in the Middle East are indoctrinated to believe that all Jews must be destroyed and that troubles us deeply”. Overweg didn’t leave unmentioned that prominent Catholics unfortunately support the BDS movement.
Speaking of World War II, Cardinal Eijk said: “It hurts us that Catholics too, who should have known better based on their faith education and formation, were guilty of violence against Jews during the Nazi era and had their share in what resulted in the Shoah. We are truly sorry. Fortunately there were also Catholics who bravely defended Dutch Jews in those dark years”. Echoing Pope Francis, Cardinal Eijk emphasised that dialogue between Jews and Christians is “a moral obligation”. “Through dailogue and despite their differences, Jews and Christians can support each other in passing on the spiritual heritage that G’d entrusted them.”
