NEW YORK (Press Release) – The American Jewish Committee (AJC) mourns the passing of Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, one of the most influential American Catholic leaders of our time, who died Feb. 26 at the age of 97. He distinguished himself as a renowned educator and spiritual leader, as a staunch defender of civil rights and social justice, and as a friend of the Jewish people.
In May 1971, AJC honored Hesburgh, then president of the University of Notre Dame and chairman of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, with the organization’s prestigious American Liberties Medallion in recognition of his “exceptional advancement of the principles of human liberty.”
Presenting the award, AJC’s Morris Abram said: “Father Hesburgh is an example to all, for when we despair because of our powerlessness and cry out, ‘What can we do as mere individuals?’”
Hesburgh was a role model and mentor for the Catholic implementation of Nostra Aetate, the historic Second Vatican Council document that transformed official church attitudes towards the Jewish people, and whose 50th anniversary we mark this year.
He was also a founding honorary sponsor of the National Interreligious Consultation on Soviet Jewry, a group established by AJC to help secure freedom for millions of Soviet Jews.
In 2002, Hesburgh, then Notre Dame President emeritus, joined with more than 400 presidents of U.S. colleges and universities in signing an AJC statement decrying intimidation of Jewish students on campuses.
“America has lost a towering figure,” said AJC Executive Director David Harris. “The Catholic Church has lost a devoted son, and the Jewish people has lost a cherished friend.”
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Preceding provided by the American Jewish Committee