Gustav Stern, New York communal leader, who just returned from Japan where he was received by Prince Mikasa, declared that there is “a small group of Japanese intellectuals who are intensely interested in Judaism and Israel,” but described as “exaggerated and unfounded recent reports of large-scale conversions of Japanese to Judaism.”
At a press conference held here Mr. Stern reported that he had discussed the question of the alleged mass conversions of Japanese to Judaism with Prince Mikasa, youngest brother of the Emperor, during an extended visit with the Prince in Tokyo last month. Prince Mikasa, himself a serious student of Jewish religion and history, Mr.Stern said, confirmed “my findings that no mass conversions of Japanese to Judaism have taken place as was widely reported in the general and Jewish press. “
Reporting on the status of the Jewish community In Japan, Mr. Stern stated that “the Jewish community consists mainly of American and European Jews who live in Tokyo. Right after the war, they bought an estate in Tokyo and with the help of the National Jewish Welfare Board built on this estate a Synagogue. Today, the Jewish community in Tokyo functions very well even if it is small in numbers.
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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.
