About 80 members of the St. John the Evangelist Leadership Guild and guests had the opportunity to hear Bishop emeritus Anthony Pilla speak about the late Sam Miller and then tour the world premiere exhibition “Israel: Then and Now” on April 13 at the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage in Beachwood.
Patrick Grace, executive director of the Catholic Community Foundation, welcomed the group and introduced Bishop Pilla, who spoke about Miller, his close friend, who died on March 7 at age 97. Grace expressed his gratitude to the Miller family, the Jewish community and the Maltz Museum for welcoming the group. He also acknowledged Sam Miller’s son, Abe, who was in attendance.
“Sam and I had a very interesting relationship,” Bishop Pilla said. He recalled his installation as bishop on Jan. 6, 1981. “I think it was a Wednesday. Sam called on Friday and said we had to meet. ‘I want to meet for breakfast tomorrow. You and I have to meet. We have to be friends and get along.” And he came over early the next morning,” the bishop said.
That was the beginning of a long friendship between the Catholic bishop and the Jewish developer and philanthropist that led to many positive things. But the bishop said he knew he could always count on Miller to tell him the truth. As a result, he sought his expertise when considering development or real estate matters.
Bishop Pilla described Miller as “an interesting, complicated person. He was a tough, shrewd businessman, but much more than that. We got along famously – not because of me,” he said. Miller was very fond of the bishop’s late mother, Libera, possibly because she reminded him of his own late mother.
“He was very devoted to her. He carried her picture in his wallet and she gave him a medal,” Bishop Pilla said. He also recalled how his mother was on Miller’s weekly Sunday bagel route.
“She’d wait for him in the kitchen. He’d come in, kiss her, they’d hold hands and pray – her in Italian and he’d say his Jewish prayers. Then they’d have coffee and bagels and talk,” he said.
Bishop Pilla described Miller with a Hebrew word: hineni, which was used by Moses and the prophets. It translates to how can I help? He said no matter how busy you are, when someone has a need, you should respond with hineni -- and Miller did.
“Sam was always ready to help anyone any time there was a real human need,” he said. Catholic education was a cause close to Miller’s heart and he gave generously to support it. One reason might have been that Miller said Catholic-educated children were less likely to be anti-Semitic. He also was generous to Catholic Charities.
The bishop recalled when he planned a trip to the diocesan mission in El Salvador during that country’s civil war. “My mother wasn’t too happy about the trip and apparently she told Sam because he called and said, ‘I’m going with you.’ He stayed with me the whole time and after seeing the need, he made a generous donation.”
Bishop Pilla told the gathering that Miller had a code in life and he followed it. “He didn’t have to wait for his reward because he saw it in the smiles on the faces of the sick, the look of hope from the poor and the momentary happiness of the unfortunate. That was his reward. He really liked helping people.”
He said Miller told him that “a man is never rich in what he owns; true wealth is in his values. I will always be grateful to Sam for teaching me hineni.
“Sam and I differed, but I don’t think it was possible for two men to respect each other more than Sam and I did. He was the first to visit me when I was sick. We focused on what we shared rather than our differences,” the bishop said. He admitted they each had critics – Bishop Pilla was criticized for having a Jewish friend and the Jewish community questioned Miller’s relationship with the Catholic bishop.
“We didn’t change our beliefs or faith. And I think we helped bring some strength to the relationship between the Catholics and Jews that had been strained for 2,000 years. We have a common God – the God of Abraham and Isaac. Christians and Jews need to respect each other’s beliefs,” he said. However, before we can learn to respect Jewish beliefs, we must have respect for our own beliefs. All Jews and Catholics are not perfect but we should strive to be good in our own faith.”
Bishop Pilla said the fabric of the country depends on factions being able to get along with each other. “Creating division between groups is not true patriotism,” he added.
“Peace and justice among all people is what we should all stand up for. We don’t do it for them – we do it for ourselves. Committed Jews are our best friends and Sam said we (Catholics) were his best friends,” the bishop said, adding, “And never forget hineni.”
After the bishop’s talk, docents guided groups through the museum pointing out displays on the Holocaust, various aspects of life in Israel, the history of the country, the struggles of the Jewish people over the centuries and their future. Also highlighted were many of the contributions Jewish individuals have made to society in medicine, agriculture, fashion, entertainment, technology and more.
The St. John the Evangelist Leadership Guild represents a group of generous benefactors of the diocese who gather regularly for the encouragement of personal spiritual development.
For more information on the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, visit maltzmuseum.org.
