Christian Missionaries Carry on Intense Activity on New York’s East Side

Mission houses still persist on the corners of the East Side according to a survey of that section of Greater New York which has just been made public by the Metropolitan League of Jewish Community Associations. A survey was made of eleven institutions, all located below 14th Street, whose avowed purpose is to carry on prose-lyting activities among the younger generation of Jews.

What success these mission houses are having in their purpose to “win nine-tenths of the Jews to Christianity” the survey does not indicate. Their goal is set forth in a booklet issued by the Department of Jewish Evangelization of the Board of Home Missions of the Presbyterian Church in the United States. In this booklet, its author, Robert W. Anthony, paints a dark picture of Jewish life in this city. “The present situation,” he says, “is a tragedy, a menace and an opportunity – a tragedy, because it reveals the breakdown of a great religion before modern metropolitan conditions; a menace, because with more than a quarter of Greater New York’s population Jewish and almost nine-tenths of them out of tune with organized religion, there certainly will be more serious, vicious criminal conditions five years hence than there are today; an opportunity, because these unevangelized thousands are calling out to a church whose founder was a Jew, to live and preach the people of love to those of his own race. To seek to win nine-tenths of them to Christianity is not proselyting, for nine-tenths of them are not now attached to any organized religion.”

The Presbyterian Church is not the only religious organization engaged in winning Jews to Christianity. Others are the Methodist Episcopal Mission Society, the Lutheran Church, the Episcopal Church and the Undenominational Church Board.

The last maintains “The Gospel Mission” at 341 East 5th Street, where it occupies a store and club rooms.

“All the efforts of this mission.” says the survey, “are concentrated upon the Jews.” Jewish Holy Day Services were held there and during last Yom Kippur the mission was crowded with Jews. The seats were free of charge, and to all appearances the services were distinctly Jewish. “A man with a Jewish name conducts these services. Eight active workers are attached to this mission, three of them young Jewish women, converts. Meetings are held every Friday evening, Saturday mornings and Saturday evenings.”

The DeWitt Memorial Church is located at 280 Rivington Street, New York. It is undenominational and is supported by the Board of City Missions. One of its strongest attractions is a dispensary with a Yiddish speaking nurse, and it conducts also a visiting nurse service. The annual attendance is estimated at 9,205 men, women and children, all Jewish, and in addition over 10,000 personal calls are made by missionaries connected with it.

Described by the survey as “the most active mission on the East Side,” it has a branch at 152 East 7th Street, where a Zionist flag, intertwined with an American flag, is conspicuously displayed.

All the meetings which the investigator attended were crowded, and the children seemed eager to learn the scripture.

The survey deals with the Church of All Nations, at 9 Second Avenue. This is a six-story building, with a gymnasium, auditorium, swimming pool, chapel and eight class rooms. It is maintained by the Methodist Episcopal Church, and in addition to its direct proselytizing, does settlement and neighborhood work. A sprinkling of other peoples attend the services, but its main activities are concentrated on the Jews.

At 63 Second Street is the Oliver Memorial Church, which was organized in 1891 by the New York City Mission. Due to the radical changes in the neighborhood, there is an increasing Italian attendance, but from one-half to two-thirds of those who frequent it are Jews. Its kindergarten is almost entirely Jewish, and the children are led in daily prayers of purely Christian content. It is alleged, says the survey, that the parents know what the religious fare is that is offered to the children. The attendants at the Mothers’ Meetings are mainly Jewish.

“The facts presented above are evidence of an organized effort on the part of Christian missionaries to attract the Jewish youth and adults for the ultimate purpose of breaking down the ties of their own faith and adopting Christianity,” the survey summarizes the missionary situation on the East Side. “The Missions have fanatical workers, considerable funds, and in most cases attractive facilities and activities to offer to the Jewish population gratis. The very fact that they do succeed in attracting considerable numbers of Jews and even converting some to Christianity, encourages these missions in their efforts. While the figures reported by the missionaries for Jewish attendance and conversions may be exaggerated and are even suspected to be so by the leading missionaries, the fact remains that the missions are a pernicious influence to the well-being of our Jewish life in this area and form a problem that requires attention and action on the part of the Jewish community.”