Temple to get gift from priest

Staff report

liberty

Temple El Emeth, in conjunction with the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation, will host the Rev. George Balasko who will honor the Jewish community for its long-standing commitment to interfaith relations as part of the 36-year-old Jewish/Christian Dialogue series.

A program is planned at 7 p.m. Oct. 27 at the temple, 3970 Logan Way. Father Balasko is pastor of St. Ann Church in East Liverpool and the adult education specialist for the Diocese of Youngstown.

The program is timed to coincide with the 45th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the groundbreaking Vatican declaration stating that Jews do not bear collective responsibility for the death of Christ, and that the Church deplores hatred, persecutions and displays of anti-Semitism directed against Jews by anyone at any time.

In celebration of this relationship and the shared traditions of Judaism and Christianity, Father Balasko will present as a gift to El Emeth a model of the Ark of the Covenant surrounded by a series of Israeli State Medals painted by Salvador Dali.

He acquired these medals during one of his many trips to the Holy Land, and presented them to El Emeth at a program in his honor last year.

With the late Rabbi Samuel Meyer of Temple El Emeth, Father Balasko co-founded the local Jewish-Christian Dialogue group some 36 years ago. Still in existence, the group has expanded to include Rabbi Joseph Schonberger of Temple El Emeth, Rabbi Joel Berman of Boardman and numerous Protestant ministers. It has been recognized nationally by the Journal of Ecumenical Studies.

The series features regular joint study programs, special speaker events, days of prayer, annual Seders and pilgrimages to the Holy Land in Israel and to Rome in Italy, where Jewish and Christian roots are jointly explored.

The American Jewish community celebrated the Vatican recognition of Israel in 1993 and the historic visit to Israel in 2000 by Pope John Paul II.

American Jews welcomed the announcement that John Paul’s successor, Pope Benedict XVI, was a man who has great devotion to interfaith relations.

Reservations for the event, which is free and open to the public, can be made by calling Temple El Emeth at 330-759-1429.

For more information, call Bonnie Deutsch Burdman at 330-770-8702.