Denies Converting a Jew Costs Sum of £37,000

(Jewish Telegraphic Agency)

The broad highway of Christian friendliness as an avenue for the conversion of the Jews was urged by the Rev. J. A. C. Mackellar, the Convener, in submitting the report of the Committee for the Conversion of the Jews to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, now in session. “The great bulk of the Christian people,” he said, “have erred in this matter. They have given themselves up to prejudice against the Jew, to contempt and to hatred. They have never given the Jew a chance.

“A Glasgow newspaper,” he proceeded, “has been repeating the old story that it cost £37,000 to convert a Jew. It is an absurd statement.” He did not believe it was ever true, he said, and it was absolutely untrue and out of date now. Jews had been embracing Christianity by the thousands during the past twelve years, he asserted. In recent years Jewish missions had cost less and shown more results than any other form of missionary work. Despite the cynics and critics, Jewish missions have had wonderful success in the past. The harvest was being reaped and the day of opportunity had arrived, he declared.

Sir Leon Levison, President of the International Hebrew Christian Alliance, addressing the Assembly, said that as soon as the Jews began to be persecuted they fell beck on the idea of exciusiveness in order to preserve themselves from being exterminatd or assimilated. With the end of the World War freedom was given to the Jews in counries where they had not hitherto experienced it and that had acted as a great solvent in dispersing the idea of exclusiveness. The Jew was launching out and was looking for ideals that would bring into being the brotherhood of man and the Church should take advantage of the great opportunity which that opened up, he stated.

The Ninety-second Street Young Men’s Hebrew Association, whose building is about to be torn down to make room for the new $1,500,000 building on the old site and on adjoining grounds, will share the Young Women’s Hebrew Association building at 81 West 110th Street as temporary headquarters, it was announced yesterday in a joint statement by the two boards of the institutions concerned. Mrs. Israel Unterberg is president and Mrs. Felix M. Warburg is acting president of the Y.W.H.A. and Justice Joseph M. Proskauer is president of the Y.M.H.A.

Justice Proskauer stated yesterday that an uninterupted program of activities, both athletic and social, will be continued in the temporary quarters. The work of the Y.W.H.A. will also be continued as usual.

Announcement was made by the Judea Life Insurance Company, New York, that the Insurance Department of the State of Missouri has licensed the company to do life insurance business in that state.

Missouri is the twelfth state where the company is licensed to operate.