The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-08-30
JEWS And GENTILES.
Can Christians Enter Israers
Fold Without
THE RITE OF THE COVENANT
Having Been Performed?- Rabbjs
Differ Very Radically-In Legal Phrase, Is
it Directory or Mandatory?

Especial to THE Observation-Disclosures Dispatch
NEW YORK, Aug 29.-The action of Rev.
DR.. Berkowitz, of Kansas City, in admit
ting Christian gentleman to the Hebrew
congregation without submission to the
Abrahamic rites, has caused considerable
controversy among the Jews in this city, in
TACT, all over the country. 1t appears DIR.
Berkowltz took the step only after due con-
slderatlon and only after a number of min
lsterial colleagues and his congregation had
approved. That act was on a line with the
resolution that was offered by Rev. DR..
wise, OF Cincinnati, in the Philadelphia
conference. DR.. Wises resolution sane
TONED the admission of gentle, to the
Jewish church without circumcision, that
is to say it abolshes the Abrahamc rite as
necessary religious rite before admission
to the fold
Inc records of that conference showed.
according to the HebreU World, that the rab-
DIS left1t to the Jewish father to decide
whether or not his children should undergo
the Abrahamic rite without thereby ieop-
afdlzlng their claim as rightful members of
The Jewish religious community But on
the other hand, they wanted the right up
IL
OF the synagogue as the bolt that would
keep them out. Now it is claimed that Dr.
berkoWltz has already Withdrawn that
bolt, and he will soon have many followers
3 number of rabbis were interviewed to-
d0y on the subject. A prominent one said:
circumcision makes neither the Moham-
maoann or heAbyssinian Christian nor the
PSdynesian savage as Jew. Moreover, [
deem 1t crlel barbarity to submit an
the sAorahamic rite. My Jewish convic-
tlon, my religious as well as my human
IeeIngS. revolt against the very idea. and
so does the religious sentiment of every en-
lghtened Jew throughout the world. The
offspring oil the marriage of Jewess with
a.gentlle is according to rabbimical tradition
Jewish, the blood of the mother determin
Ing the character of the children Whether
this law and primitive standard is in har-
mony with our view of life and religion is
question about which the orthodox widely
diner from the modern Jew, who expects
MS 1altn TO conquer the world by reason
and by the power of all-convincing truth.
was not the generation of Moses-Chose
very lsraelltes that received the law on
Sanal-as good and genuine Jews as those
living under Joshua, although The former
refralned from the rite of circumcision.
The liberal Jew is no longer guided by the
letter OF the mosaic law in regard to
dietary laws or any of the ritual laws in the
Pentateuch. In fact we have done awav
with the entire Mosaic law; we have ar
rived at spiritualinterpreta of Moses
Our enlightened and progressive Judaism
to- day is based upon prophetic direction
winch gives us cosmopolitan and no
longer national or rational religion. be-
lleve the great majority of rabbis fully dis
approve OF 1ntermarriage. 1t is in fact
destruction of the basis of the family. and
If religion is the basis of home by putting it
ON the monotheistic conviction, openly de-
clared and adopted, which we regard as
Jewish, or the Jewish faith, almost all pro
gressive rabbis would sanction the marri-
age OF gentltes, thereby finding them united
on the broad Jewish monothistic faith.m
Another rabbi said According to our
standpoint, and hold to the historic Juda-
ism, we deny absolutely the admission of
any gentle without having submitted to
the rite OF the covenant. Such a person
would not be considered in utilization with
the synagogue. We regard the practice. in
view OF the language of the Scriptures. as
divine command binding on all genera
lions. We hold that it is not in the power
OF any man to abolish that which is the di
rect injunction of God contained in revealed
words of the Scriptures
''The Jews had perpetuated this rite
through the darkest days of their suffer-
lngs and when, during the time of the in
qu!sltion, they were unable to fulfill this
requirement, the moment they ESCAPED from
the domination OF the inquisItion in other
notably in Holland, they at once
complied with the injunction, even in the
case OF adults. 1t follows then that no man
can be regarded as being of the congrega
tlon OF Israel on whose person the seal of
the covenant had not been placed.n