THE President, Mrs Robinson, was among those attending the induction of the new Chief Rabbi of Ireland, the Very Rev Rabbi Gavin Broder, in the Terenure Synagogue in Dublin yesterday.
The ceremony was attended by representatives of all the major Christian churches, Government Ministers, TDs, members of the diplomatic corps, the Army Chief of Staff, the Garda and representatives of sporting and cultural organisations.
The prayer of induction was said by the Very Rev Dr Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregation of the Commonwealth.
Mr Martin Simmons, chairman of the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland, said the Jewish community appreciated Mrs Robinson finding the time to attend the induction of its new Chief Rabbi.
The existence of religious freedom in Ireland was something every citizen had the right to feel proud of, Mr Simmons said.
Rabbi Sachs, in his address, said the Irish and Jewish peoples had a great deal in common. They had both had an impact on the world far beyond their numerical strengths, they shared a strong sense of history and love of literature, "and, if I may put it bluntly, we are both great talkers".
Rabbi Broder, he said was taking on a difficult job. The creation of the universe was not difficult for an omnipotent God. The "real challenge" was for man to create a place for the Divine here on Earth.
Among those in attendance were the Papal Nuncio, the Rev Luciano Storero; the Israeli ambassador, Mr Zvi Gabay; the German ambassador, Mr Horst Pakowski; the French ambassador, Mr Francois Mouton; the Polish ambassador, Mr Stanislaw Szymanski; the Austrian ambassador, Dr Michael Briesky; the leader of Democratic Left and Minister for Social Welfare, Mr De Rossa; the Minister for Equality and Law Reform, Mr Taylor; the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Desmond Connell; the Most Rev Dr Donald Caird (for the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin, the Rev Walton Empey); Dr R.W.J. MacDermott (for the Presbyterian Moderator, Dr H.R. Allen); the Rev Thomas Kingstun (for the Methodist Church); Pastor P. Fritz (representing the Lutheran Church); the deputy Lord Mayor of Dublin, Mr Sean Dublin Bay Loftus; Mr Ben Briscoe TD; Mr Alan Shatter TD; the Army Chief of Staff, Lieut Gen Gerard McMahon; Deputy Commissioner Noel Conroy (for the Garda Commissioner, Mr Pat Byrne); and the chairman of the GAA, Mr Jack Boothman.
