By Charly Wegman
Jerusalem - Jewish leaders in Israel and beyond saluted on Wednesday the election of the German-born Pope Benedict XVI, hailing him as a friend of the Jewish people and urging him to continue fighting anti-Semitism.
The late Pope John Paul II was widely admired in Israel for his work in reconciling the Catholic Church with the Jewish people, a policy which his successor was expected to continue.
"He is well known as a friend of the Jewish people. I hope and I pray that he will follow the path of Pope John Paul II," said the chief rabbi of Tel Aviv Israel Lau.
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"The last time I met him in New York he spoke most forcefully against anti-Semitism," Lau, a former chief rabbi of Israel, added.
Many Jews voiced the belief that Benedict's German roots, rather than being a cause for concern, would in fact bolster his desire to battle anti-Semitism.
"Given his historical experience, we hope the new pope will be faithful to the commitment of the Catholic church to fight anti-Semitism," said Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom.
"We also hope that the new pope will continue to work towards rapprochement between the state of Israel and the Vatican as well as the Catholic church and the Jewish people."
His comments were echoed by Abraham Foxman, head of the New York-based Jewish lobby group the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
"From the Jewish perspective, the fact that he comes from Europe is important, because he brings with him an understanding and memory of the painful history of Europe and of the 20th-century experience of European Jewry," said Foxman.
"Having lived through World War 2, Cardinal Ratzinger has great sensitivity to Jewish history and the Holocaust. He has shown this sensitivity countless times, in meetings with Jewish leadership and in important statements condemning anti-Semitism and expressing profound sorrow for the Holocaust."
There was a more cautious welcome from the Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Centre, which recalled his membership of the Hitler Youth movement during World War 2.
"As a child, he grew up in an anti-Nazi family. Nonetheless he was forced to join the Hitler Youth movement during the Second World War," said the organisation's founder and head, Rabbi Marvin Hier.
"There's been no evidence to show that he committed any crimes or has been implicated in crimes, but clearly joining the Hitler Youth is not something you want to boast about on your CV," Hier said.
Israel's Jerusalem Post daily was confident that Benedict XVI would follow the path of John Paul 11 who was widely hailed as the most sympathetic pope towards the Jewish people.
During his leadership, the Vatican opened diplomatic relations with Israel and he was the first pope to pray in a synagogue in 1986.
"Paradoxically, it is most probably his German background that has made Ratzinger especially sensitive to the Jewish people" the paper said in an editorial.
"One could compare his sensitivity, born of the soul-searching of a man born into German society, with the sensitivity of his predecessor, John Paul II, who was born in Poland, a victim of Nazi Germany."
Rabbi David Rosen, a key figure in the establishment of diplomatic relations little more than a decade ago said that "from a narrow Jewish and Israeli perspective it is good news for the Jews.
"He has a profound commitment to good relations between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people and an unquestionable commitment to Israel's well-being," Rosen told the Haaretz daily.
Israel Singer, the president of the World Jewish Congress, argued that the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger had laid much of the theological groundwork for the forging of relations.
"In the last 20 years he has changed the 2 000-year history of relations between Jews and Christianity. I believe he will continue the policies of John Paul II with regard to relations with the Jews and Israel."
In London, Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks said Britain's Jewish community welcomed the new pope and wished him success in facing the "daunting challenges that lie ahead".
"I hope... that he will speak in defence of the covenant of human solidarity in alleviating poverty and disease, illiteracy and absence of hope in so many parts of the world," he said.
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