Blessing' at George Washington Carver Museum

One friendship can change the world.

That's the idea behind "A Blessing to One Another: Pope John Paul II and the Jewish People" a traveling exhibit showing at George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center. The exhibit tells the story of the unique friendship between Karol Wojtyla, later known as Pope John Paul II, and Jerzy Kluger, who became the Pope's personal emissary to Israel.

The childhood friends grew up in the atypical Polish town of Wadowice, where Catholics and Jews co-mingled despite the 2,000 years of painful history between the religions. The Pope later made remarkable contributions to the relationship between the Catholic and Jewish faiths during his papacy, including being the first pope to visit a synagogue and recognizing the state of Israel.

"The story just touched me, and it crosses all boundaries," said Nancy Splain, the program chairperson. "We've had a Native American man come in who reflected on his own culture's past, and another person who lost family in the Holocaust."

The exhibit opened on July 15, 2005, at Xavier University in Cincinnati, and made its way to various Holocaust and Jewish heritage museums, and universities in 15 cities. Miryam Salter, a member of Temple Chai in Phoenix, invited Splain, a member of Shepherd of the Hills United Church of Christ, to see visiting scholar Rabbi Abie Ingber of Xavier University speak in 2007. Ingber talked about the exhibit, and the women were so moved by the story that they wanted to bring the exhibit to the Valley.

With no university or major museum to back the project, Splain, Salter and their friends partnered with the Arizona Ecumenical Council, and worked for four years to bring the exhibit here.

"This is truly a grassroots effort," Splain said. "We brought together a group of people from diverse areas of our community to bring the exhibit here."

The interactive exhibit features a maze of large wooden panels covered in pictures, stories, facts and quotes. Artifacts and television screens featuring interviews with historians, Wadowice townspeople and Holocaust survivors are spread throughout. The exhibition, which takes about 45 minutes to view, is divided into four sections.

The first focuses on life in Wadowice and the interaction between the Jewish and Catholic communities in the town. Visitors then enter the second section, the Krakow Ghetto, one of the Nazi-created Jewish ghettos during World War II. There, visitors will see bleak reminders such as shoes from the Holocaust Museum in Auschwitz, and will learn about contributions Poles made to help rescue some Jews.

"Overall, the Polish saved more Jews during World War II than any other country," Salter said. "Any Pole caught aiding a Jew was shot to death on site. Overall, six million Poles were murdered."

The third section highlights Wojtyla's journey from priest to bishop to cardinal, and how he maintained close ties with the Jewish community while serving as bishop. The final part of the exhibit celebrates John Paul II's papacy, and his historic visit to Israel, featuring a replica of Jerusalem's Western Wall. There, visitors can write a prayer and slip it in the wall's cracks, and the prayers will be taken to the real Western Wall. As guests leave, they can touch a bronze sculpture of Pope John Paul II's hand.

There is a section honoring Pope John Paul II's 1987 visit to Arizona, and a tribute to Phoenix's late Rabbi Albert Plokin, who was known as "everybody's rabbi."

The host committee members combed the Valley for a venue to house the exhibit, but because of the religious connotations, many public venues turned it down. The George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center once was home to Carver High School, which until integration of schools in 1954 served only African-American students.

"The site of the Carver Museum has its own painful history," said Missy Shackelford, host committee chairperson. "Their mission statement, like ours, is to embrace each other, and practice tolerance, openness and respect toward one another."

Splain says everyone can learn from this exhibit.

"It shows the power of friendship," Splain said. "It doesn't matter your religion, your economic status, your ethnic or economic background. Anyone can relate to this exhibit because it teaches the importance of openness and respect."