Preservation of Cultural Minorities in U.S. Urged at Christian-jewish Forum

(Jewish Daily Bulletin)

The Conference of representatives of the Church and Synagogue concluded its sessions here. Members of three Christian national organizations and the Central Conference of American Rabbis spent last week in the discussion of international problems. Besides the clergymen of the various faiths represented, there were present college professors, school teachers, Y.M.C.A. workers and writers.

There were three outstanding things during the week as far as the Jewish participation in the conference was concerned. One was the address by Professor Abraham Cronback of the Hebrew Union College, Cincinnati, on the subject, “What the Church and Synagogue Can Do to Promote Justice and Peace.” This address brought forth lively discussion in which it was shown that both Church and Synagogue have been moving too slowly in the eradication of industrial wrong and war.

The second contribution by the Jewish group was represented by the address on the subject, “Racial and Religious Minorities,” given by Rabbi Louis Mischkind of Wilmington, Delaware. The concensus of opinion in the discussion that followed was in favor of perpetuating cultural minorities which did not isolate themselves from the population at large for the sake of variety and enrichment which those minorities contributed to the general life. The question of intermarriage of Christians and Jews was raised in this connection creating keen interest especially among the Christians present.

The climax of the Conference was the Jewish Sabbath Eve service which was held in the Community Church. Most of the delegates present had never witnessed a Jewish service before. Five rabbis participated. Rabbi Leon Fram of Detroit gave the opening prayer. Rabbi Victor E. Reichert, of Cincinnati read the first portion of the Friday evening service from the Union Prayer Book and Dr. Henry Cohen, of Galveston, Texas, read the latter part of the service and gave the benediction. Rabbi S. H. Markowitz of Fort Wayne, Indiana, read a selection from the Bible; Dr. Ephraim Frisch of San Antonio, Texas, delivered the sermon on “The Common Tasks and Resources of Judaism and Christianity.” Mrs. Lappis sang Ibn Gabirol’s Hebrew poem, “At the Dawn I Seek Thee.”

Throughout the week the representatives of the two faiths mingled with one another at the sessions and in private converse. At meals and at other times they inquired into each others attitudes and beliefs and as a result of this free interchange of ideas, and more important still, as a result of pleasant personal contacts erroneous opinions were corrected on both sides and mutual appreciation made remarkable headway. Reverend Reinhold Neibuhz of Detroit, the directing spirit of this Conference, in an address after the service Friday evening expressed his thanks to the rabbis for making it possible for the Christians present to know them and understand them since it meant for himself and his group a liberation from the last remaining vestiges of prejudice and misunderstanding.