Your donation will be tax deductible in the US to the extent allowed by the IRS.
To make a tax-deductible donation by wire transfer in the US, please contact:
Avrum Lapin, North American Representative
Toll-free: 1-866-830-3321
Email: [email protected]
To make a tax-deductible donation in Israel, please contact:
Dina Gudai, Israeli Representative
Phone: 074-7800643
Email: [email protected]
Please mail your check to:
The Schechter Institutes, Inc. (a 501(c) 3 tax exempt organization)
Box #3566
PO Box 8500
Philadelphia, PA 19178-3566
Attn: Mr. Avrum Lapin, North American Representative
Toll-free: 1-866-830-3321
Email: [email protected]
Please indicate the donation is "for your joint Schechter Institutes program."
Checks should be made payable to the Jewish Theological Society of Canada and mailed to:
Jewish Theological Society of Canada
c/o Camp Ramah in Canada
3845 Bathhurst St., Suite 310
Toronto, ON, M3H 3N2
Phone: 416-789-2193, ext. 2139
E-mail: [email protected]
Please mail a check to:
The Schechter Institutes
Attn: Dina Gudai, Finance Department
PO Box 16080,
Jerusalem, 9116002
Israel
For assistance, please call Dina Gudai at 074-780-0643 (8:00 AM – 3:00 Israel time Sunday through Thursday).
Your donation will be tax deductible in the US to the extent allowed by the IRS.
To make a tax-deductible donation by wire transfer in the US, please contact:
Avrum Lapin, North American Representative
Toll-free: 1-866-830-3321
Email: [email protected]
To make a tax-deductible donation in Israel, please contact:
Dina Gudai, Israeli Representative
Phone: 074-7800643
Email: [email protected]
Please mail your check to:
The Schechter Institutes, Inc. (a 501(c) 3 tax exempt organization)
Box #3566
PO Box 8500
Philadelphia, PA 19178-3566
Attn: Mr. Avrum Lapin, North American Representative
Toll-free: 1-866-830-3321
Email: [email protected]
Please indicate the donation is "for your joint Schechter Institutes program."
Checks should be made payable to the Jewish Theological Society of Canada and mailed to:
Jewish Theological Society of Canada
c/o Camp Ramah in Canada
3845 Bathhurst St., Suite 310
Toronto, ON, M3H 3N2
Phone: 416-789-2193, ext. 2139
E-mail: [email protected]
Please mail a check to:
The Schechter Institutes
Attn: Dina Gudai, Finance Department
PO Box 16080,
Jerusalem, 9116002
Israel
For assistance, please call Dina Gudai at 074-780-0643 (8:00 AM – 3:00 Israel time Sunday through Thursday).
26/10/2026
Rabbi Matt Berkowitz, president of the Schechter Institutes Inc. was honored last week in a Papal audience with the American Jewish Committee (AJC) when a magical work of art he created was presented to Pope Leo XIV.
Honoring a Sacred Relationship is the name of the artwork commissioned by the American Jewish Committee. It was crafted by Rabbi Berkowitz, who remained in Jerusalem while the piece was bestowed in The Holy See.
During the papal audience, the AJC delegation declared that Rabbi Berkowitz’s artwork celebrates the historic bond between the Jewish people and the Catholic Church, including the landmark 1965 Nostra Aetate declaration, which transformed Catholic-Jewish relations.
His Holiness Pope Leo XIV with AJC Director of Interreligious Affairs Rabbi Noam Marans, AJC Chair of Interreligious Affairs Dr. Joyce Silberstang, AJC CEO Ted Deutch, and AJC President Bobby Lapin Copyright @Vatican Media
Rabbi Berkowitz thanked his, “talented partners on this project Izzy Pludwinski of the Hebrew Calligraphy Gallery and Yair Medina founder of Jerusalem Fine Art Prints.”
The piece depicts a powerful excerpt from Nostra Aetate—the 1965 Vatican declaration that revolutionized Catholic-Jewish relations by rejecting antisemitism, affirming Judaism’s eternal covenant with God, and building new bridges of understanding—in both the original Latin and the official Hebrew translation: “Since the spiritual patrimony common to Christians and Jews is thus so great, this sacred synod wants to foster and recommend…mutual understanding and respect…”
Berkowitz’s “Honoring a Sacred Relationship” sits in the Vatican.
The artistic floral border of the piece is inspired by an illuminated ketubah (Jewish marriage contract) from Ferrara, Italy 1822. The use of a ketubah border is intentional, drawing on the covenant between the bride and groom, to showcase Nostra Aetate as a tangible reminder of the lasting and vital relationship between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people.
Rabbi Berkowitz received the AJC commission earlier this year and immediately began the thought and creation process. “I sought to find the perfect representation of partnership to reflect the ongoing conversations between the Catholic Church and the Jewish People.”
He reflected, “The words, imagery, colors and textures manifested in the ketubah bring to life the covenant between our religions. May this artwork mark the continuance of a mutual journey that brings peace, healing and understanding between our religions and peoples.”
Reflecting on the gift presentation to Pope Leo, AJC CEO Ted Deutch said, “When Pope Leo XIV reached out to AJC on the very first day of his papacy, he reaffirmed the enduring importance of the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people. At a time when dialogue across faiths is more important than ever, this gift celebrates a relationship sustained by decades of trust, dialogue, and shared values–rooted in the historic breakthrough of Nostra Aetate. We thank His Holiness for his partnership, generosity, and unwavering support for Jews across the world.”
Rabbi Berkowitz, an accomplished artist, illustrated and created the commentary for “The Lovell Haggadah” published in 2008 by the Schechter Institutes. His works are displayed in the permanent collection of The Jewish Theological Seminary and throughout numerous synagogues and Jewish Centers in North America. His work is also held in the collection of Yale University’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.
Top Image Copyright by Vatican Media
