Elie Hirschfeld, the principal and president of privately held New York City ownership and development group Hirschfeld Properties is traveling to Rome to greet Pope Francis on his visit to the Great Synagogue of Rome on January 17, 2016. Pope Francis will become the third-ever Roman Pontiff to visit Rome’s Great Synagogue, following in the footsteps of St. John Paul II in 1986 and Benedict XVI in 2010.

Hirschfeld is representing Rabbi Arthur Schneier and The Park East Synagogue, and will greet the Pope on the momentous occasion. Hirschfeld is coming as a guest of the Chief Rabbi of Rome, Riccardo Shmuel Di Segni, and Rabbi Joseph Arbib, both leaders of the Great Synagogue. According to the Vatican, this visit will include a personal encounter between Pope Francis and representatives of Judaism worldwide, and the members of the Jewish Community in Rome.