(Milan) - Father David Neuhaus, a Jesuit of Jewish descent, is patriarchal vicar for Hebrew-speaking Catholics in Jerusalem. In a recent interview with Terrasanta.net, he sets out the pastoral priorities of the small Hebrew-speaking community in the Holy Land under the jurisdiction of the Latin Patriarch. One particular focus is on the preparation and translation of documents to offer appropriate support, in particular a new translation of the Catechism for children.

Fr. Neuhaus, what is the identity of Hebrew-speaking Catholics in Israel today?
The identity of the Hebrew Catholics today is very complex. What we all have in common is the Hebrew language, living in the State of Israel and integration with Jewish society. But our origins are very diverse: some of us are Jews who have encountered Christ, some of us are married to or related to Jews, some of us are Palestinian Arabs who live within Jewish society for reasons of work, education and housing (we have Arab families in our parishes in Beer Sheva, Tiberias, Jaffa…). Some of us are from other countries and have made the choice to live with the Jews because of our history. Some of us are foreign workers, some of us are asylum seekers…
The cultures that we represent are incredibly diverse. Some of us are from European or Anglo-phone origin but the foreign workers are predominantly Asian and the asylum seekers predominantly African. Some are born here, others arrived a long time ago, we also have newcomers. Some are citizens, others are without legal status. Some speak excellent Hebrew while others struggle in Hebrew but Hebrew is the only language we have in common. Furthermore, when it comes to the political divisions in the country - Jew or Arab, left or right - we have representatives of all the possible groups.
Hebrew Catholics today divide into a group of about 500 people who frequent our six parish communities and another group of thousands (or even tens of thousands) who speak Hebrew, live in Israel and within Jewish society but continue to frequent communities that speak the language of origins – these being the foreign workers and the asylum seekers. Their children (and there are thousands of these children in the State of Israel today) speak Hebrew as their first language.

Could you tell us more about your plans for publishing documents for Hebrew-speaking Catholics?
A great first effort has been made in the publication in three volumes of the catechism for children in Hebrew. For 2012 we are planning two more volumes that we feel are of vital importance for our pastoral work: "Get to Know the Mass" and "Get to Know the Saints".  
We have been working on the children's catechism in Hebrew for the past three years, assisted financially by the John Paul II Foundation. The first volume, "Get to Know Jesus Christ" was published in 2009, the second volume, "Get to Know the Church" in 2010 and the third volume, "Get to know the Feasts and Sacred Times in the Church" in 2011.
In addition to this important project for our children, we are working on a translation of the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Once a week a group of translators meets and we work together as a team (in Jerusalem and in Haifa).

Do you believe that your publications are useful in fostering dialogue between Jewish society and Hebrew-speaking Catholics?
Our catechetical books and our website are arousing interest in Israeli society. It is interesting for Jews to realize that the Hebrew language, always considered a Jewish language, is now being used to communicate Christianity  - in liturgy, in theology, in children's education. This indeed provokes a fascinating dialogue with our Jewish brothers and sisters in Israel who have to get used to the fact that they are the dominant and powerful majority and we live in their midst as a small and vulnerable minority. We are trying to adapt to the society in which we live (Hebrew speaking, Jewish Israeli society) in much the same way as Jews in the Diaspora try to adapt to the societies in which they live where Christians are a majority. We are challenged to produce texts that take into account the Church's Jewish roots, Christ's Jewish identity, our adherence to the Old Testament and our respect for the people of Israel. However, we are also called to produce texts that respect our rootedness in a Church that is predominantly Arab and in which we must constantly pray for justice and for peace.

© http://www.terrasanta.net/tsx/index.jsp - jenuary 25th 2012