Daniel Lifschitz

Daniel Lifschitz was a Jew who converted to Catholicism in 1966.  He entered the Neocatechumenal Way in 1974.  One wonders if Chuck White speaks of the same Daniel Lifschitz who was interviewed by Diane Weber Bederman.  In her magazine article (the bold is mine): 

Yet,wit all the grandeur the square offered,it was a little church that caught our eyes, tucked away by the Porta del Popolo. It is the Basilica di Santa Maria del Popolo, built in 1472-77 at the site of an 11th century chapel. 

The church doors were closed. But there was a door open to the right; and it was there that we came upon an exhibit by Daniel Lifschitz, an artist, a painter of pastels. I thought he was Jewish—his name—and that's what attracted me: that here in a beautiful church well known for its Caravaggios was an exhibit by a Jewish artist. It just felt so right.

I walked in and was greeted by an elderly, slightly di-shevelled man at a very big desk. He had silver hair, thinning on top, a white beard and mustache, and he was wearing a simple long-sleeved, button-down shirt that was not buttoned down. The desk was filled with books. None in English, to my sorrow. There was also a large sign-in book for comments. The gentleman pointed the way into the exhibit: nocharge—rare in Rome.................

Daniel Lifschitz has been creating for more than 60 years with words and pastels. His life journey, physically, emotionally and spiritually is reflected in his labours of love.

This elderly man she encountered at the door was none other than the artist himself - Daniel Lifshitz, whom she later learned.  According to Chuck White's blog, Kiko Arguello supposedly told Lifschitz that he will not do the exhibition in Rome. Whoever gave him that information was in contradiction to this magazine article saying that it was Lifschitz who did the exhibition in Rome.

Also, White's blog was incorrect about the date when Lifschitz entered the Way. Chuck White stated that Lifschitz entered the Way in 1973. In his interview with Diane Bederman, however, Daniel Lifschitz said he entered the Way in 1974. Also, the article showed that Lifschitz did not know a Giuseppe Gennarini before he joined the NCW.  It stated that he joined the monastic community of Guiseppi Dossetti, who was a priest and founder of the "Piccola Famigilia dell' Annunziata", a community based on silence, prayer, work, and poverty.  During his interview with Bederman, Lifschitz indicated that he finally found comfort in the Neocatechumenal Way.  You can read the entire article here.  

As for the letter written by "a" Daniel Lifshitz found in Chuck White's blog, that letter can also be found in this Anti-Neo website.   According to the English translation of this Anti-Neo website (the bold is mine):

In the 80s, Giorgio Filipucci, a cantor Neocatechumenal, composed "Shema 'Israel" - "Hear O Israel", a beautiful song, which became a "hit" of the way. Twenty-five years ago George died. Today that his beautiful composition has not more 'composed Filipucci, but Kiko Argüello; It makes her pass as his. 

 Last year I wrote a personal letter to Kiko. Having received no reply, I do now one. "Open Letter" 

Apparently, Lifshitz accused Kiko of being narcissistic because he believed that Kiko took a song composed by Giorgio Filipucci and passed it on as his own. This is incorrect. According to a news report: 

In 1997, the Thursday after Ash Wednesday, while praying Lauds with his wife and the priest who accompanied them on the mission, Giorgio suffered unexpectedly and irretrievably a stroke that left him lifeless; He was so ascended to heaven leaving his wife and eleven children (the last of which are still in gestation). 

It was the same Giorgio Kiko Arguello, who accompanied with guitar in meetings and eucaristías- who composed the song Shema Israel putting music to the ancient Jewish prayer. 

This song has become one of the most important and emotional Neocatechumenal: it is sung in the Easter Vigils del Camino worldwide and every day is sung, in a very special way, at the International Center Domus Galilaeae on Mt. of Beatitudes (Galilee, Israel) stage of an ongoing and fruitful dialogue between Christianity and Judaism. 

Giorgio Filippucci was both the star of a TV show called RAI Salt of the Earth; a program of the eighties in which, accompanied by musicians and singers, Giorgio played songs and psalms of the Neocatechumenal, presenting to the public the Christian reality fruit of Vatican II that in those years, he moved his first steps with enviable fervor .  

This news report stated that it was Giorgio Filipucci who composed the song Shema Israel.  Kiko never claimed it as his own.  However, over time, people began to think that all the songs were composed by Kiko Arguello.  So, where did this rumor come from?  All rumors came from Anti-Neo websites.  Should we believe Chuck White who gets all information from Anti-Neo websites? Perhaps, the junglefolks should start doing their own research on secular unbaised news report rather than swallowing everything one man tells them.