The Jewish Community Relations Council’s (JCRC) Task Force on Missionary Activity issued an alert, warning parents to watch for Christian missionary comic books being distributed to Jewish youth.
According to Dr. Seymour Lachman, Task Force Chairman, reports have come from many Jewish homes and camps of the dissemination of Spirer Christian Comics to Jewish children. These comic books feature well-known cartoon characters, and subtly suggest that youngsters accept Christianity as their “true religion.” In many cases, Jewish youngsters have been easily deceived by these comics, not knowing their true intent, Lachman said. He identified one of the sources of these publications as a Christian Comics publishing firm located in Old Tappen, New Jersey.
Malcolm Hoenlein, JCRC executive director, said that it was particularly disturbing that these proselytic activities are aimed at young children who are unable to fully comprehend the issues involved. He noted that this was part of an attempt by certain missionary groups to mislead those Jews who are most vulnerable to deceptions.
He urged rabbis and Hebrew school teachers to publicize this matter to the general Jewish public, and to alert parents to carefully scrutinize the literature their children bring home to ascertain that it, is not, in fact, missionary material.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
