Book Description

Building Bridges is about a unique friendship between Pope John Paul II and a Jewish woman from Poland, Lena Allen-Shore. They did not meet until 1996 but their lives had a number of surprising similarities: both were born in Poland at around the same time, raised in similar economic circumstances, both celebrated Polish culture through poetry, music, theatre and philosophy. During World War II, the young seminarian went underground to complete his studies while the young seminarian went underground to complete his studies while the young women assumed a Christian identity to survive. Decades later, it would be Lena Allen-Shore who encouraged the Pope to take up poetry once more. Scarred by the war and the unprecedented Holocaust of European Jews, Pope John Paul II and Lena Allen-Shore resolved to build bridges between Christians and Jews-John Paul by his journeys, meetings and public statements denouncing anti-Semitism, Lena Allen-Shore through her teaching and writing. As their friendship deepened, the Pope invited her to attend Key events celebrating Jewish-Christian dialogue, in Jerusalem and Assisi. This is an insightful and moving book about what may be the Pope's most important legacy, the building of bridges between Christians and Jews by witnessing to the Holocaust. The story of his unique friendship with a Jewish compatriot makes this achievement understandable in human terms.