Ninety leading Jewish and Protestant ministers attended this week a seminar held here to explain to the Christian clergy the history and religion of Judaism and to promote greater interfaith cooperation, it was announced today. The gathering was arranged by the Association of Reform Rabbis, the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, the Anti-Defamation League of the B’nai B’rith and the Greater New York Federation of Churches.
The Keynote was sounded by Rabbi Abram J. Feldman of Hartford, Conn. , who told the assembled ministers: “This is not a missionary meeting. We merely want to tell you about cur faith. We rejoice with you in the comfort and happiness that you have found in your faith. All we ask is that you respect and understand ours.”
Dr. Henry Sloane Coffin, president of the Union Theological Seminary and former Moderator of the general assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States, opened the meeting by asking the Jewish rabbis to be “frank with us.” Outlining the history of the Jew from ancient Roman times to the present, Prof. J.R. Marcus, head of the History Department of the Hebrew Union College, declared that the Jews here have completely adjusted themselves to the American way of life.
Following the prepared addresses, the meeting was thrown open to questions from the floor. The Protestant ministers, in an effort to obtain a clearer insight into the Jewish religion, raised numerous points about the teachings of Judaism. The conference was presided over by Rabbi William R. Rosenblum of Temple Israel who, following the meeting, led the ministers on a tour of his synagogue, showing them the Jewish alter and religious equipment.
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