In an open letter to the North American Home Missions Congress, Dr. Israel Goldstein, rabbi of Congregation B’nai Jeshurun, questions the sincerity of its program of good-will towards the Jews adopted at its meeting in Washington this week and asks whether it is a means toward an end, namely, of winning the Jew to Christianity. Dr. Goldstein’s letter follows:
TEXT OF LETTER
“The New York Times of this morning reports the proposal submitted by your conference group on Jewish and Christian relationship, as urging the expression of ‘good-will and friendly feeling toward the Jewish people,’ the deploring of ‘the long record of injustice and ill-usage of the Jews on the part of professedly Christian people,’ the declaring of ‘such conduct to be a violation of the teaching and the spirit of Christ,’ and the calling upon all churches and Christians ‘to oppose anti-Semitism in every form and all unjust discrimination against Jews.’
“Having been privileged to address your body in Atlantic City three years ago, when I endeavored to make clear the Jewish attitude toward Christian missionizing among Jews, I beg to take this occasion to ask for a clarification of the above mentioned proposal.
“Is the motive and intention of the proposal, the hope that an attitude of goodwill and friendly feeling toward the Jews would be a more effective means of winning him to Christianity?
“It is my impression that such is the intention and the motive. My impression is based upon the fact that at a conference of Protestant Mission Organizations, in which some of your constituent groups were represented, held at Budapest and Warsaw in April, 1927, for the purpose of discussing the subject of Evangelization among Jews, the following statement was adopted: We believe that all un-Christian treatment Jewish and Christian relationship of the Jew and all race-prejudice are great stumbling-blocks to the acceptance of the Christian message. (“The Christian Approach to the Jew,” a report of the conferences, published London, 1927, page 18).
AIM TO CONVERT JEWS
“The entire discussions of that conference converge upon the same idea, that it is essential to make Jewish converts to Christianity, and that this end can be accomplished most effectively by substituting an attitude of friendship for the attitude of hostility and prescution.
“Let me assure you that any change in the attitude of Christians toward Jews which would correct the injustice and persecution from which the Jew has suffered in the past, is to be welcomed and deeply appreciated by Jews. At the same time, it is also important to know whether there is any ulterior motive behind the new dispensation, and whether it is merely a new strategy in the effort to win Jews for Christianity.
“It is the predominant opinion among Jewish leaders that there can not be honest and effective goodwill between Jew and Christian so long as Judaism is recognized as an inferior religion, and as being inadequate for the salvation of those who are born in that religion.
“Your clarification of the reported proposal of your conference group on Jewish and Christian relationship would be very helpful.”
“Sincerely yours,
“Dr. Israel Goldstein.”
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