New York, NY, March 22, 2006 … To commemorate the first anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul II and honor his unique relationship to the Jewish people and Judaism, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has issued a new publication focusing on the Pontiff's historic visit to Israel and the Middle East in 2000. Pope John Paul II - Visit to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority: A Pilgrimage of Prayer, Hope and Reconciliation, includes selected passages from the speeches and presentations made by the Pope during his visit, compiled and with commentary by Rabbi Leon Klenicki, ADL Director Emeritus of Interfaith Affairs.

"Pope John Paul II's outreach to the Jewish community will remain an important part of his extraordinary legacy," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, who wrote the introduction to the publication.  "As a youth in Poland he related to Jews who were his friends and neighbors. As Pope, through his words and actions he condemned anti-Semitism as a sin, visited the Rome synagogue, the first ever by a Pontiff, prayed at Auschwitz for the Jews who died there at the hands of the Nazis, and established relations with the Jewish State of Israel."

Rabbi Klenicki, an expert on and participant in Catholic-Jewish relations for many decades, said, "As no other Pope in history, John Paul II will forever be recognized as the Pilgrim of Peace and the Apostle of Reconciliation. His prayer at Judaism's holiest site, the Western Wall, his visit to Yad Vashem to pay homage to the Jews who died in the Shoah, his meetings with the Chief Rabbis of Israel, Israeli officials and the Israeli people, were historic moments in his pilgrimage."

The publication provides context for the pilgrimage, made on the occasion of the Great Jubilee, and contains excerpts from John Paul II and those with whom he met.  Among the sections included are:

• The Pilgrimage to Jordan
• Visit to the Palestinian Authority
• Mass in Bethlehem
• In Israel
• Visit to Yad Vashem
• The Legacy of Pope John Paul II's Visit

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.