Rabbi Stephen Pearce looked out at the overflow crowd in Congregation Emanu-El’s sanctuary and, tongue planted firmly in cheek, said of Archbishop William J. Levada: “He has been traded to the Cardinals.”
The roar of laughter that followed must have gratified the rabbi. “I waited a month to say that,” he added.
The rabbi, the congregation and clergy from several other faiths gathered on Friday, June 10, to say goodbye to Levada, who will soon move to Rome to assume a high post in the Vatican under Pope Benedict XVI.
The gathering met for regular Friday night Shabbat services, which added a strong measure of spirituality to the farewell.
In addition to many familiar Shabbat songs, Cantor Roslyn Barak also sang a version of “Lecha Dodi” based on an Italian Jewish melody in honor of the archbishop.
In his tribute, Pearce called Levada “a wonderful presence in our community … a tower of strength and dignity … he has made his mark on the hearts and souls of our citizens.”
Levada, 69, has been archbishop of San Francisco since December 1995, and has enjoyed a distinguished career in the Catholic Church, having previously served as archbishop of Portland, Ore., and in leadership positions in Los Angeles, Sacramento, Santa Barbara and Rome.
Before turning the bimah over to Levada, Pearce presented the archbishop with a handmade stole and a plaque commemorating the day.
Marking his first-ever appearance at a Shabbat service, Levada told the gathering, “I couldn’t have been more touched by the service,” noting that the refrain of the song “Hine Ma Tov” comes from Psalm 133, which he adopted as his motto back in seminary (he then recited the passage in Latin).
“It’s nice to be in a community of prayer,” he added.
Levada noted that he had a challenging assignment ahead of him in the Vatican, where he will head up the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the same post previously held by the newly installed pope.
In closing, Levada thanked the interfaith community — singling out longtime Jewish community activist Rita Semel for special commendation — and noted the importance of continuing to foster interfaith cooperation. “The key to living peacefully,” he said, “is to recognize the goodness in one another.”
The service ended with Barak singing the traditional Jewish prayer for safe travel, the Tefillah HaDerech, which she noted originally included a passage about being attacked by wild beasts.
Also present were representatives from many religious groups across the Bay Area, including: Auxiliary Bishop John Wester and Chancellor Stephen Meriwether from the Archdiocese of San Francisco; James Donahue, president of the Graduate Theological Union; Rev. Charles Gibbs of the Episcopal Church; Paul Chaffee, director of the Interfaith Center; James De Lange, a Lutheran minister and chair of the S.F. Interfaith Council; His Grace Anthimos of Olympus, bishop of the Greek Orthodox Church; Bishop William Swing of the Episcopal Diocese of California; Swami Vedananda of Vedanta Society; Sister Chandru Desai of the Brahma Kumaris; Imam Souleiman Ghali of the S.F. Islamic Center; and Iftekhar Hai of United Muslims of America.
Along with the archbishop, rabbi and cantor, all stood on the bimah together to break bread for Hamotzi.