Rabbi Lizzi Heydemann of Mishkan Chicago with Pope Leo XIV on May 28th, 2026.
(Photo credit: Simone Risoluti, Vatican Media)
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It really happened — I met the pope. Last week, I joined a delegation of Chicago community and faith leaders on a visit to Rome. While there, I spent time exploring this city’s ancient Jewish roots. Read on for my reflections!

(Photo credit: Simone Risoluti, Vatican Media)

If you know me, you won’t be surprised to learn that I teared up when we finally met with Pope Leo. It was an honor to represent Mishkan Chicago on the world stage and engage in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for interfaith dialogue with arguably the most visible religious leader in the world. The delegation was composed of people from diverse backgrounds, and we certainly did not agree on every issue, but we connected over our shared beliefs in the necessity of pursuing peace and securing dignity for all people in a time of rising bigotry and violence toward immigrants. You can hear more about what I discussed with the pope in this emotional video (which Mishkan Builders got exclusive access to just hours after it all went down!).

Many of us in the delegation brought gifts for the pope from Chicago. The South Side-born pontiff has expressed his love of the White Sox, and as a South Side-born fan of the White Sox myself, I brought a White Sox kippah (with a pomegranate logo on the inside, of course). Not all of the presents made it into the final gift basket, but the Mishkan White Sox Kippah made the cut!

Jewish history runs deep in Rome. “The Eternal City” was home to a Jewish community for over two thousand years! I was able to attend a Shabbat service at the beautiful Tempio Maggiore (Great Synagogue of Rome) which followed Roman Jewish customs so old that they predate the Askenazi/Sephardic split! I also enjoyed traditional Roman Jewish foods like fried artichoke and pizza Ebraica (Jewish pizza) which is, confusingly, a cookie. It was delicious (watch me try it!), and the cute kosher bakery I visited was apparently a favorite of the previous pope, Benedict XVI. Check out my vlog on my full day exploring Jewish Rome for more reflections.

There is also deep pain in Rome’s Jewish history. In 81 C.E., The Arch of Titus was erected to honor the emperor who destroyed the Second Temple, a pivotal tragedy in Judaism — it even depicts soldiers carrying off the menorah as plunder. In 1553, Pope Julius III ordered the confiscation and public burning of the Talmud and other Jewish texts on Rosh Hashanah. And in 1555, Pope Paul IV forcibly relocated Jews to a locked, walled ghetto. During World War II, thousands of Jews were murdered or deported. This included a raid on the Jewish ghetto on October 16, 1943 where over 1,000 people were sent to Auschwitz, and only 16 survived. In spite of this, Jewish life continues today in Rome, defiantly carrying forward the resilience and legacy of the Jewish people.

I am so grateful to this community and to the generous donors who made this trip possible. I loved getting to know other Chicagoans working to make our city a better place for everyone, like Yusef DuBois Jackson of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition (above left) and other Chicago faith leaders (above right). Here’s to building bridges, to dialogue across faith and culture, and to working together toward a world that celebrates, protects, and includes all of us.