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Jewish leader receives honor
archived from: 2005-06-23
by: Patricia Bartos

In an honor rarely conferred on people of other faiths, Bishop Donald Wuerl on June 18 invested Dr. Walter Jacob, rabbi emeritus of Rodef Shalom Congregation, into the Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great.

The knighthood was granted through the late Pope John Paul II.

The ceremony formed part of a day-long tribute to Rabbi Jacob celebrating his 50 years of service to Rodef Shalom in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood and his 75th birthday.

Rabbi Jacob retired eight years ago from the congregation. A native of Germany, he is the 18th generation of his family to enter the rabbinate.

He has long been a leader in Reform Judaism, which stresses the use of the vernacular in religious services and also encourages social interaction and interfaith efforts.

The papal honor, Bishop Wuerl said, is an acknowledgment by the church of the “personal character and honorable reputation, together with the generous use of personal talents and gifts” for the good of the church, the faith and “the good of the wider community of all of God’s children.”

The bishop said that “while the Jewish community is recognizing Rabbi Walter Jacob for his half-century of service, we want to salute him for the collaboration that he has fostered, and particularly to recognize the tradition of dialogue he supports and sustains out of which deeper respect and understanding has developed between the Jewish and Catholic communities.”

The honor was begun in 1831 by Pope Gregory XVI to honor “loyal and meritous gentlemen.” In 1905, Pope St. Pius X adapted it to reward men “who had distinguished themselves through conspicuous service and notable accomplishment.” Pope John Paul II revised the papal orders 12 years ago to permit them to include women.

Rabbi Jacob is an expert in Jewish law and has written 27 books, including a number on Jewish-Christian relations.

He is also former president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and has received honorary degrees for his contributions.

In retirement, he has played a key role in restoring Reform Judaism in Germany, where he lives for part of each year and where he serves as chief rabbi of Munich. He also founded and serves as rector of Abraham Geiger College as part of Potsdam University, the first rabbinical seminary established in Germany since before the Holocaust. The school trains rabbis to work with members of the faith in Eastern Europe.

In honor of his work, he was named a Grand Commander of the Order of the Republic of Germany, and Austria has issued a postage stamp in his honor.

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