period At the conclusion of the hostilities of World War II, Toaff was appointed chief rabbi of Venice, a position he held until 1951 when he assumed the same role for the Jewish community of Rome. While in Venice he also lectured on Hebrew language and literature at the Ca' Foscari University of Venice. He published his autobiography, Perfidi giudei, fratelli maggiori (Peridious Jews, Elder Brothers) in 1987. Toaff resigned as chief rabbi at the age of 86 on 8 October 2001 and was succeeded by Riccardo Di Segni. On the eve of his retirement, Toaff said: 'A rabbi doesn't work only for his community or for the Jews. A rabbi has to talk to every human being who needs him. He belongs to everybody. He is for everybody.' On 17 May 2012 he was awarded the Prize Culturae within the Italian National Festival of Cultures in Pisa. Toaff died on 19 April 2015, 11 days before his 100th birthday. Pope Francis sent a telegram to Dr. Riccardo Di Segni, Toaff's successor as Chief Rabbi of Rome: Toaff and his wife had 4 children, 3 sons, Ariel, Daniel, and Godiel, and a daughter Miriam, who married Sergio DellaPergola and lives in Israel. Jewish-Catholic relations Upon the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Toaff, as Chief Rabbi of Rome, paid tribute to the late pontiff, saying: "Jews will always remember what the Catholic Church did for them by order of the pope during the Second World War. When the war was raging, Pius spoke out very often to condemn the false race theory," a sentiment echoed widely in the Jewish communities at that time, though later challenged by Rolf Hochhuth. There had been nonetheless contact with Pius XII and the local community, a situation that changed with Pope John XXIII who on one occasion stopped his car outside of the synagogue to bless the Jewish worshippers as they left, a gesture, the first papal blessing in 2,000 years, which moved them profoundly. No formal contacts, however, arose during the papacy of Pope Paul VI. On 13 April 1986, Toaff was greeted by, and prayed with, Pope John Paul II during a visit to the Great Synagogue of Rome, the first by a reigning pope to a Jewish house of worship. Rather than extending his hand for a formal handshake, Toaff embraced the Pope. On April 7, 1994, Toaff co-officiated at