Virginia Holocaust Museum hosts national exhibit focused on interreligious dialogue
Beginning January 24, the Virginia Holocaust Museum will open its special exhibit, “A Blessing to One Another: Pope John Paul II and the Jewish People.” Created to educate, commemorate and inspire, the exhibit is a multimedia, interactive experience that allows visitors to follow in John Paul II’s footsteps from his childhood to his role as head of the world’s largest church and his lifelong relationship with the Jewish community.
Blessed by the pope in 2005, “A Blessing to One Another” highlights the importance of interreligious dialogue and the benefits of respect among communities of differing faiths and cultures. Organizers Rhona Arenstein and Rosann Bocciarelli brought the exhibit to the Virginia Holocaust Museum with the help of individual, corporate and communal donors, including Bon Secours Virginia Health System, Dominion Resources, the Catholic Diocese of Richmond and the Jewish Community Federation of Richmond.
“Pope John Paul II’s legacy is greater compassion and understanding, not just between Catholic and Jews, but among all peoples,” said Rhona Arenstein.
“The Richmond community came together to bring ‘Blessing’ here. We are delighted that the exhibit will be in Richmond when Pope John Paul II is beatified by the Church on May 1,” added Rosann Bocciarelli.
The 2,000 square foot exhibit is a historical depiction, divided among four sections that reflect key periods in the pope’s life from his childhood in Poland to his more than 25 years leading the Roman Catholic Church. Named after the pope’s 1993 commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, “A Blessing to One Another” examines how a friendship with Jews, as well as experiences of hatred and intolerance, shaped the Pontiff’s worldview of mutual respect.
“It is our hope that this exhibit will show we can all get along together under the guidance of God. No matter how we get to Him,” said Jay Ipson, executive director at the Virginia Holocaust Museum.
“A Blessing to One Another” was the idea of Xavier University visiting professor Dr. Yaffo Eliach, a Holocaust survivor, which she created with Dr. James Buchanan, Rabbi Abie Ingber and Dr. William Madges. The creators promised the pope that the exhibit would open by his 85th birthday on May 18, 2005. Once design plans were completed, the exhibit was built in less than four months.
“Since its creation in 2005, the exhibit has been seen by some 600,000 people,” said co-creator James Buchanan, director of Xavier’s Edward B. Brueggeman Center for Dialogue. “We are eager for Richmonders to experience and learn from the pope’s powerful and inspiring story, as well.”
Admission into the Virginia Holocaust Museum, along with the “A Blessing to One Another” exhibit is free and open to the public, seven days a week. For more information, please visit www.va-holocaust.com.
