November 2011
INSIDE THIS ISSUE 2
What is PTWF?
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Pope Pius XII
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Religious Tolerance at the Airport
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Pope John Paul II
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Project Baby
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Digitizing Project
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iPave Youth
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Why I support PTWF
How We Are Paving the Way By Gary L. Krupp KCSG, PTWF Founder and President and Meredith Krupp M.S., Co-Founder
The Dictionary defines “gesture” as “something said or done by way of formality or courtesy, as a symbol or token, or for its effect on the attitudes of others”. Pave the Way Foundation sponsors gestures of good will from one religious group to another. Through the ages, one proverb has remained a useful guide to human relations: You can catch more flies with sugar than you can with vinegar. Tough talk, threats and tanks may serve to restrain an evildoer but will never result in any long-term peace. Likewise, endless talk and negotiations with insincere appeasement and hollow agreements have not rid the world of its conflict.
A gesture is a concrete action that creates a beneficial effect What Can I Do? 6 that can be seen and felt by Meredith and Gary Krupp both the recipient and the What Others Say giver. A gesture can be large or small. If you graciously open a door for a feeble 7 About Us grandmother or a 250-pound wrestler, you have done a very good thing. All of a sudden, the giver and receiver become more real to each other. You are no longer a faceless stranger; you are the person who opened the door. At the same time, communication is PTWF Projects 8 improved. A “thank you” or “hello” is a very likely byproduct of the gesture. And miraculously, each will start to like the other just a little bit more. Now take that simple example and place it on a broader scale. At Pave the Way Foundation, we perform and sponsor gestures of good will from one group of people to another, which creates better understanding between the groups and
the individuals in those groups. Most often we concentrate on religious groups as we have come to realize that religion is being used as a tool to justify and wage war. It is not correct to say that violence, conflict and war are caused by religion. It is correct to say that evil people with private agendas are using religion and victimizing religious people to cause almost every conflict on earth today. Through our gestures that demonstrate the true benevolent character of religion, we are taking away religion as a weapon from those who would use it to create destruction. There is hope. We can all do something. I hope that each person reading this will do something. I invite you to help the Pave the Way Foundation in our mission. –Gary L. Krupp KCSG
G What is Pave the Way Foundation? Our Mission Pave the Way Foundation is dedicated to achieving peace by bridging the gap in tolerance and understanding between religions through cultural, technological and intellectual exchanges. We strive to eliminate the use of religion as a tool which, historically, has been used by some to achieve personal agendas and to cause conflicts. Through our projects and our concrete gestures of good will, we hope to pave the way towards global education directed to the everyday "grass roots" person. We must now all recognize the dangers of apathy and silence. Embrace our Similarities; Savor our Differences The meaning of our slogan is simple. We must embody the messages of charity, love and responsibility for every human being, common to all of our faiths, our beliefs and to the code of human behavior. We focus on our similarities and savor our differences by learning, through the positive and practical appreciation of the World's diverse religions and beliefs. We must not allow the differences to poison us with bigotry, hatred and intolerance. Instead, we wish to learn, enhance our own beliefs and in turn savor our differences.
G Uncovering the Truth about Pope Pius XII Eugenio Pacelli, Pope Pius XII, is one of the most controversial figures in history. Did he support and protect Jews as well as he could, or was he “Hitler’s Pope”, failing to act while lives were lost? Decades of scholarly research has resulted in what can only be described as a “log jam”. In 2007, Pave the Way Foundation initiated a research project, gathering documentation and personal testimonies on the papacy of Pope Pius XII, the World War II Pontiff, in order to break the academic "log jam" caused by the lack of publicly available information. From our examination of the evidence, we came to the conclusion that this subject had been totally mishandled by the historians who were trusted to get it right. How did this happen and who was to blame? Was this intentional? The question is very important. Throughout human existence, man has sought retribution from his fellow man by fueled hatred based on what is believed to be historical beliefs. Recording history with accuracy is an awesome responsibility, which literally can mean life and death. The world’s historians have a sacred and moral responsibility to be absolutely accurate. We are not historians by profession. But we are dedicated. We research and report our findings. We created and published a nearly 300-page book entitled Pope Pius XII and World War II - THE DOCUMENTED TRUTH. With much of our research completed, we convened a symposium in Rome, inviting the worldwide experts on the subject. Our panelists included Jesuit Historian Father Peter Gumpel, Professor Ronald Rychlak, William Doino, Tel. +1.212.629.0046 or +1.516.432.7560 Fax: +1.516.432.7561 Email: office@ptwf.org
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Sister Margherita Marchione, Dan Kurzman, Andrea Tornielli, Dr. Eugene Fisher, Father Dennis McManus and George Blumenthal. For three days, we poured over hundreds of documents and listened to eyewitness testimonies and comments from the experts. At the end of the symposium we videotaped interviews with many of the attendees. One hundred percent of the attendees changed their minds about the negative opinions they had held of Pius XII. On September 18, 2009, our delegation of 80 participants traveled to the summer residence of the Pope Benedict XVI, where I delivered a statement to His Holiness on our findings and a promise to continue to search out documents and seek the truth. Pope Benedict XVI then made a statement to us, which was a dynamic public defense of his predecessor. News of this event traveled around the world and opened this historical “infection” to begin the healing power of public scrutiny.
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Improving Religious Tolerance at the Airport Thousands of religious tourists come to Israel every single day. There are important holy sites of importance to just about every single religion on Earth. Practically every international tourist has to go through Israel’s Ben Gurion Tel Aviv International airport. The airport security personnel are known for doing a good job with keeping passengers safe, but not always making them feel welcome. We heard many complaints from pilgrims of all faiths traveling to Israel about how they were treated, or mistreated, by the Israeli airport personnel. Israel’s Ministry of Tourism was receiving many complaints. Rather than writing yet another letter of complaint, we decided that a gesture of good will would be more appropriate. We made an appointment with the director of security at the airport and volunteered to write a training manual for security personnel. The manual outlines how to properly communicate with and treat people of different religions. This tool, which we provided at no cost to the airport, has completely changed how visitors are treated today while maintaining the necessary security measures.
Manual for Tel Aviv Airport Personnel
G A Gesture of Thanks to Pope John Paul II This is the story of a Pave the Way Foundation project that began as a simple gesture, a token of appreciation to a special man, and became an historical event in the lives of the Jewish people and the Catholic Church. On January 18, 2005, Pave the Way Foundation brought approximately 160 people, including Jewish leaders, Rabbis and Cantors (singers) from around the world, the largest Jewish group to ever meet with a sitting Pope, to a private audience in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace. The purpose of this mission was to recognize the Holy Father’s contribution towards religious reconciliation with the Jewish people and the State of Israel, and to bring a message of gratitude. The audience also included PTWF board members and advisors of many religions. This event was an experience that changed the lives of all who attended, for no matter the religious beliefs of the attendees, one thing was certain – everyone knew that he or she was blessed by being in the presence of a holy man. Articles about this event appeared in over 200 newspapers worldwide.
G Tel. +1.212.629.0046 or +1.516.432.7560 Fax: +1.516.432.7561 Email: office@ptwf.org
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Project Baby By Linda Simpson, Administrative Director
Project Baby is a vital effort, based on the most fundamental principles of Pave the Way Foundation (PTWF), the idea that concrete gestures of good will between the faiths accomplish more than simple dialog, and that there is a silent majority of peace-loving people who share the true benevolent message common to all faiths. In response to this simple, yet monumental idea, PTWF initiated this charitable program to address a vital need and to provide a way for individuals, churches, synagogues and mosques to contribute to improving relationships between religious groups by improving on basic living conditions for the neediest among us. Social services in the Middle East are sorely lacking in resources and sometimes fail to provide the poorest mothers with the most basic needs for their infants. Supplies that many of us take for granted, like diapers, baby formula and even the simplest toys, are not regularly distributed or available. PTWF has responded to this alarming situation in a unique way. We solicit donations to purchase emergency baby supply baskets from mosques to help Christian and Jewish mothers, from churches to help Muslim and Jewish mothers and from synagogues to help Christian and Muslim mothers. Groups and individual donors have the opportunity to reach out of the boundaries of their own religious communities and address this most vital and unmet need for other families in the Holy Land. Distribution of Gift Baskets in Jerusalem
Pave the Way Foundation Special Advisors in Israel, renowned sculptor, Sam Philipe and Under Secretary for the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land, Father Angelo Ison OFM have been instrumental in making this project a success. You can help provide desperately needed supplies and improve relations between religious groups. Speak with religious leaders or congregations in your area about contributing to Project Baby. All the funds donated for Project Baby go directly to purchasing and distributing the baskets. The cost of a six-month supply of baby formula, diapers and some toys is approximately $525.00 per family. –Linda Simpson
G Digitizing the Scriptures – Future Project Pave the Way Foundation began a project several years ago digitizing documents in the Vatican Library. Our purpose at that time was simply to make the information available for scholarly study around the world. Our new initiative is even more ambitious. Our plan is to digitize and merge the ancient Jewish, Christian and Muslim manuscript of the National Library of Israel and the Vatican Library. In accordance with our slogan, “Embrace the Similarities – Savor the Differences”, we will examine the similarities of the writings of both faiths. We will hold symposiums in Rome and Jerusalem. Later we will also work to digitize the Christian Orthodox, Armenian and Islamic religious Initiating the Gift of the Digitizing Project to the Vatican Library manuscripts and gather experts for symposiums in additional locations. We hope to go back to the beginning of the doctrines of each faith and demonstrate how, in many Tel. +1.212.629.0046 or +1.516.432.7560 Fax: +1.516.432.7561 Email: office@ptwf.org
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cases, they all actually say the same thing. For example, both the Jewish Talmudic teaching and the Qur’an state that if you save one life it is as if you save all of humanity and conversely if you take one life you kill of humanity. These similarities when addressed can help to give more power and credence those within each faith who oppose extremism.
G iPave Youth – Future Project Children are our future. And one of the most powerful influences in our society is the news media. Our most exciting new project, iPave, involves youth and the media. We will encourage high school and college students to participate in a mission to examine new stories and media accounts of events of today. We know that the media can be a powerful entity of good and of evil. Perceptions that spawn hatred and violence come from how stories are reported. The student participants on special missions will investigate and report their findings online. Erroneous, hate-filled reporting will be exposed by those who will inherent this planet. In the future, we plan to hold a major annual event to honor the most accurate reporting of international news. The iPave award will be similar to the Pulitzer Prize.
G Why I Support Pave the Way Foundation This is a regular feature of the Gestures Newsletter. In each issue, we focus on one Pave the Way Foundation supporter to find out the reason why he or she chooses to contribute time, money or both to this cause. This month, we talked with Doyle Mills of Clearwater, Florida.
“I grew up in an area fraught with prejudice, the mountains of Eastern Kentucky. Yet my early influences steered me toward tolerance, love and understanding. My mother taught me to respect all people. My father showed tolerance of others by example. And one of my early teachers, the Rev. Jimmy Grayson, taught me that we are all created equal. Now as a Scientologist for almost twenty years while still being active in Christian churches (I am the volunteer public relations director for an Apostolic church in Pinellas Park, Florida and I’m a member of Presbyterians for Peace in Dunedin, Florida), I have seen intolerance and lack of understanding all around me. September 11th 2001 should have taught any caring individual that we cannot just stand on the sidelines praying or hoping that conditions will get better but rather that each Doyle Mills with Gary L. Krupp KCSG and Pope John Paul II of us had better DO something about it.” “I met Gary Krupp in 2001, before Pave the Way Foundation began. He helped me with a documentary film project and demonstrated his true caring and benevolent nature. I suppose now that this too was a “gesture”. When he and Merry founded PTWF I became very interested. I started out by selling tickets to a PTWF fundraising banquet. More importantly I was able to inform other people who then became involved in the organization. As a writer, I have been able to contribute in numerous ways, including award inscriptions, press releases, articles and parts of this newsletter. I will never forget the day before Thanksgiving, 2004, when Gary called and said ‘January 18th, you’re coming to Rome; we’re going to meet the Pope.’ This was the Papal audience written up elsewhere in this newsletter. I was very fortunate to be part of this audience and to meet the great man who, I’m confident, will soon be known as Saint John Paul II. Moreover, I am truly Tel. +1.212.629.0046 or +1.516.432.7560 Fax: +1.516.432.7561 Email: office@ptwf.org
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blessed to be part of the Pave the Way Foundation. This world will be a better place for our children tomorrow because of the work we do today.” –Doyle Mills
G What Can I Do? Volunteer
The first and best way to support any endeavor is to look within yourself and provide that gift that only you can give – time. Each of you reading this has special talents that you can bring in support of PTWF’s mission. Please contact us and donate your time and talent in support of peace.
Matching Gifts
Many companies offer matching gift programs that compound employee charitable contributions. Check the directory of matching gift companies to find out if your company will match your Pave the Way gift. If they do match, remember to follow your organization's matching gift process.
Donate
PTWF is a public charity under IRS Code 501C3. Your donations are tax deductible. Pay by credit card through PayPal by clicking on www.ptwf.org/Contribute or send a check to 253 West 35th Street, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10001-1907.
Do You Have Frequent Flyer Miles?
Through the generosity of several major airlines, PTWF can receive donations of frequent flyer miles. Call the individual airlines to find out how to donate your unused frequent flyer miles to PTWF in support of our mission.
Start a Local Chapter
Gestures of good will can also be done in a local area. Is it your passion to bring together the diverse groups in your community to achieve peace and harmony? Go to www.ptwf.com/chapters to find out how you can help pave the way to peace in your own area.
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Tel. +1.212.629.0046 or +1.516.432.7560 Fax: +1.516.432.7561 Email: office@ptwf.org
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Who Are We? Board of Directors Elliot M. Hershberg -Chairman of the Board Gary L. Krupp, KCSG OStJ -President Meredith S. Krupp M.S. -Secretary/Director Harry M. Epstein -Treasurer Rabbi Benjamin Blech Daniel P. Buttafouco, Esq Stanley Browne Br. Austin David Carroll William H. Cox, Esq. John Dibari John R. Drexel IV KStJ Robert Fonti Robert Gaynor David Hauser, PDE Richard I. Kandel Peter J. Klein Frank Mackay Gary Melius Doyle Mills Barbara Kane O’Neill
Jacob Parker Norman Weisfeld
Board of Advisors USA: Rabbi Jack Bemporad Justice Stephen A. Bucaria Bishop Ignatius Catanello Dennis Dubin (1942-2007) Mamdouh I. Farid PhD Monsignor Anthony Frontiero Karen Hadley Linda Harkavy, MD Rabbi Bennett Hermann Sheikh Syed Agha Jafri Pastor Roger Johns Rabbi Abraham Kiss Fr. Hector LaChapelle MS Monsignor James Lisante Lewis Okin Pastor Jeffrey Lausten C. Raymond Radigan, Esq. Rabbi Dr.Barry Dov Schwartz Rabbi Eric Silver Darlene Slamen
Bennett Solberg, PhD Pastor Lawrence Swenson Pandit Ramnarine Tiwari Father Joakim Valasiadis Asia: Sunil Thomas Australia: Fr. Michael Kalka Canada: Fr. Murray Watson Fr. Bernard O’Connor France: Dr. Costantino Fiore Michel Yves Bolloré Germany: Michael Hesemann Greece: Gloria Clementoni Israel: Sam Philipe Fr. Angelo Ison OFM Italy: Stefano Cerniato Rolando Clementoni, KCSG Avv. Daniele Costi
Jerzy Kluger Dott. Giancarlo Lombardi Fr. Bernard O’Connor Mexico: Cecelia Levine Poland: Ms. Beata Czekaj Belgrade, Serbia: HRH Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia Aleksandar Simic South America: Count Sebastian Zoltowski Switzerland: Pablo Manuel Villarreal United Kingdom: C. Elizabeth Llackey Jonathan Boulter Administrative Director Linda Simpson Director of Youth Services Lauren Feldman
What Others Say About Us “It is with affection that I greet the members of the Pave the Way Foundation and I thank Mr. Krupp for the kind words which he has addressed to me on your behalf” Pope John Paul II "I think he (Gary Krupp) is one of the greatest people I have met in my life and I am 80. He has me 100 percent convinced he will succeed." Dott. Rolando Clementoni- Senior Papal Chamberlain- Protocol Officer of the Apostolic Palace, Vatican “Mr. and Mrs. Krupp formed Pave the Way Foundation to effect his vision of the commonality that exists between the world's religions. They use the common message of the true benevolence of each faith, to affect the overall goal that the religions, universally, must act to remove incorrect use as a tool of religious dogma and the intentional misinterpretations of holy text, to justify acts of violence, hatred and bigotry, within each religion. This, Mr. Krupp believes, is the cause of every major conflict on earth. How can such a monumental task be accomplished? Well sometimes the easiest and the simplest way will accomplish great things. Gary has proven this and, if his methodology becomes a format for dealing with the world's problems, I'm convinced that solutions to some of the international problems would be achieved.” Dr. Faroque Khan – Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Islamic Center of Long Island “The efforts of tonight’s honorees are a tribute to the Pave the Way Foundation’s mission to unify people of all religions and improve the quality of life in communities throughout the world” Michael R. Bloomberg – Mayor, City of New York “It is my pleasure to send you this letter congratulating you on the important initiative to produce a documentary program on the Alexandria Summit and its Declaration, as well as the ongoing effort to ensure that religion is a force fro peace in the Middle East and in our world, rather then a tool for violence and destruction. This message and this initiative are of urgent and crucial importance and I am grateful to you and for your commitment to bring them to as wide an audience as possible.” Rabbi David Rosen – Signatory to the Alexandria Declaration and International Director and Chief Rabbi of the American Jewish Committee "Please keep up the good work of Pave the Way Foundation in your quest to end the use of religion for justifying acts of violence" Rabbi Shlomo Riskin- Chief Rabbi of Efrat, Israel “Once more I feel impelled by events- this time happily positive developments-to express my profound gratitude and appreciation for the unique contribution you have been making with the Pave the Way Foundation, to securing onward progress in building up the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Jewish People. There are, of course, many organizations devoted to advancing Catholic Jewish dialogue and friendship. None, however,
Tel. +1.212.629.0046 or +1.516.432.7560 Fax: +1.516.432.7561 Email: office@ptwf.org
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Pave the Way Foundation’s Gestures of Good Will: Completed Projects: Organized the largest Jewish audience in history, simply to thank Pope JohnPaul II for his enormous gestures to improve Catholic-Jewish relations Arranged a historical mission of scholars to the Vatican Library to view original manuscripts of Maimonides Initiated historic Frst-ever exhibit of manuscripts of Maimonides and others from the Vatican Library to the State of Israel Identified the availability and donor, enabling the Vatican Library to acquire the Bodmer Papyrus for worldwide study Improved Judeo-Christian tourism to Israel and the Holy Land, eliminating travel restrictions and airport difficulties, benefitting all the people of the region Sponsored an international symposium on the papacy of Pope Pius XII to educate and inform and bring together all concerned parties to discuss their historical differences
See more completed projects at www.ptwf.org/projects Ongoing Projects: Uncovering the truth about Pope Pius XII Digitizing the Vatican Library and the manuscripts of the Franciscans in Israel Finalizing the fundamental agreements between the state of Israel and The Holy See Moving to get the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem affirmed Sponsoring Project Baby Working to Implement Peace and Prosperity Plan for the Palestinian areas Placing twin life-size monuments of Pope John Paul II in Krakow and Jerusalem to be created by renowned artist and Pave the Way Foundation Advisor, Sam Philipe
See more ongoing projects at www.ptwf.org/projects Contact Us: Manhattan: 253 West 35th Street, 15th floor, New York, NY 10001-1907 Long Island: 47 Farrell Street, Long Beach, NY 11561-2603 Phone: (212) 629-0046, Fax: (516) 432-7561
www.ptwf.org Pave the Way Foundation, Inc. 47 Farrell Street Long Beach, NY 11561
Copyright 2011, Pave the Way Foundation. All rights reserved. This newsletter may be freely forwarded, reprinted and distributed in its complete form with no additions but may not be used to promote any commercial enterprise. Individual articles or passages may be reprinted only with express written permission of Pave the Way Foundation. Tel. +1.212.629.0046 or +1.516.432.7560 Fax: +1.516.432.7561 Email: office@ptwf.org
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