January 19th - Journal Write

We toured the Jewish Ghetto today. This was my third time in the neighborhood, but my first time inside of the synagogue and the museum. As far as aesthetic appeal or "imagery" I was most impressed by the Great Synagogue of Rome. I have only entered four synagogues in my life, two of them today, but I'd never seen one anywhere near as ornate or massive as this one.
The most striking encounter of my day, however, was a conversation I had after our tour with one of the old women who worked at the synagogue. I had wandered back into the museum to look more closely at the artifacts on display from WWII and was taking notes on the historical information and background posted on the walls when a tiny, wrinkly, adorable old woman approached me and asked if I had any questions. Out of my own discomfort I said that I had already gone through the tour and was just "scopin' it out" (which of course meant nothing to her). Fortunately for me, she disregarded or misunderstood my response and proceeded to guide me over to some of the displays and describe to me what I was seeing.
I spoke to her for about 30 minutes. She shared pieces of her own experiences during the Nazi occupation in Rome, but wasn't anxious to answer directly personal questions. I was especially interested in her perspective on the Pope, whom she referred back to several times. She spoke very negatively about Pope Pius XII, emphasizing his failure to speak out against the Nazis during the war. She did however acknowledge the compassion of the Roman Catholics during the occupation. 8,000 out of the 10,000 Jews in Rome during the war escaped the concentration camps thanks to the Catholics' hospitality in providing sanctuary for the Jews in convents and churches. As the woman said to me today, "we who are here are here because of them".
Today, there are approximately 13,500 Jews in Rome. Pope Benedict XVI has a far better reputation with the Jews than Pius XII did. My friend at the museum believes that, "the Pope today is different. He would speak up for us". I was encouraged by that.
I have been reading about the history of the Catholics in Rome, specifically surrounding the history of St. Peter's Basilica. Sifting through book after book about the corruption and greed in the Catholic Church throughout history can get disheartening at times. It was nice for me to hear about the incredible part that the Catholics played in Rome during WWII in protecting the Jews. I was touched by the Jewish woman's ability to speak so positively about the Jewish-Catholic relations in Rome, focusing more on her optimism for the future than the pain of her past.