A Pioneer Is Dead

Posted on 17. Sep, 2009 by admin in Spring 2009

The New Year – 2009 – opened on a very sad note for Catholic-Jewish Relations. On January 25th, Rabbi Leon Klenicki passed away at the age of 78. He was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, September 7, 1930, to parents who emigrated from Poland in the 1920’s. He received a master’s degree and rabbinical diploma marking his ordination in 1967 from Hebrew Union College. Some outstanding accomplishments are:

1. Published a major magazine called Teshuvah (Questions and Answers), dedicated to contemporary Jewish religious thought.

2. An advisor on Interfaith Affairs for the main Jewish organizations in Argentina and Latin America.

3. He was head of the Jewish-Catholic Relations for the Anti-Defamation League and served as co-liaison to the Vatican.

4. He lectured at several Catholic universities and seminaries.

5. He was a prolific writer of books and articles on better understanding between Christians and Jews. Among the more important books is Believing Today: Jew and Christian in Conversation, co-authored with Richard John Neuhaus, a Lutheran pastor.

6. Among the many national and international awards these awards are outstanding: 1) 1996 – The 15th National Christian-Jewish Workshop Award for his interfaith work; 2) 2001 – The Vatican’s Commission honored him for his interfaith dialogue; 3) 2007 Pope Benedict XVI made him a Papal Knight of the Order of St. Gregory the Great.

On a personal level, I will truly miss him because he was a close friend and one of the advisors for our magazine – Dialogue Today. He was instrumental in encouraging me to continue our magazine. We had many lunches when we would discuss Catholic – Jewish issues.

MAY HE REST IN THE HANDS OF OUR LOVING GOD.

Msgr. Leonard F. Badia, Ph.D., K.C.H.S.
Editor and Publisher

Tags: Death