The times., 1899-10-01
MAKING jews CHRISTIANS
Methods of the Missionaries in New
York City.
Converts Said TO BE for Revenue
0nIy-Jewish Apostates' Treacher-
Gus Work-Chrfstfan Laberers Not
to Blame Prominent IsraeIites
Discuss the So-calIed Crusade.
1From the New York Tribune !


(From the New York Tribune.)
The methods OF the Hebrew Christian
workers among the dwellers of the East
Side, the men who have renounced Judaism
and are devoting their time to the CONVEX
sion of their former co-religionists have
received much attention in the last few
weeks because of the sensational reports
which have been printed on that subject.
Missionaries have been pelted with stones
and other missiles by Jewish men and boys,
their meetings have been broken up and
the police have been called in to restore
order. On the other hand, the Jews have
complained of the actions Of the converted
missionaries, some of whom, they said, had
gene so far as TO cause religious devices to
be tattooed on the arms of little boys.
Men who are connected with the missions
on the East Side deny Indignantly the re-
ports about marking the children, and in
vestigation has shown that if these out
RACES were committed they were neither
inspired nor carried into execution by them,
but by men who are known to the East
Side Jews meschumiths, or apostates.
THE Christian missionary III this part of
the city," said A. H. Fromenson, associ
ate editor of the Jewish Daily News, is
not an Objectionable person to us. We have
been accustomed to his presence among us.
and we have no complaint to make about
| him, any more than a densely populated
| Christian district would make against
Jew who would establish headquarters
! among them for the purpose OF making
converts to Judaism and do his work in
quiet and orderly way. OF course. the COM
! parison is purely hypothetical, because
Jews do not work in that direction-we
never try to make converts.
Christians Not Accused.
THE Rev Mr.. Birnie and other men of
| his stamp, who come here thinking that
they may convert some of our people, are
not the men TO whom we object, and they
are not the men who are accused of injuring
! the children or abusing their rights as mis-
sionarias. We object to the meschuniths,
/ their methods. and the false light in which
| they place the whole Jewish community.
"TEese are Christians for money only,
/ and they induce many miserable wretches
i to go through the ceremony of conversion
make them relate their experience, and
| then make show of souls saved SO that
! they may be continued in the service. The
men who supply the funds, the ministers
who give their support to the missions, and
the community at large are entirely ig-
! norant of the true state of affairs, and there
are thousands of good people who think
that many Jews are converted to Chris
tianity every year, while, in fact, there
are no converts.
Several missions for the Jews are main
tanned on the East Side. Among them the
one over which Herman Warszawiak pre-
4 sides at Grand and Attorney Streets, is the
best known It's rooms are frequently
crowded and the exercises are similar to
those in any mission meeting hall, except
that they are conducted in part IN the
language which is spoken by the uneducat-
ed Russian and Roumanian Jews. The reg
ular attendants of the meetings, which
are held at the Warszawiak place are called
the Presbyterian Jews, and while some OF
their neighbors demonstrate with them for
leaving their faith, the majority of the
community refuse to consider them seri-
ously, and smile when they speak OF their
Presbyterian Jewish neighbors. The meet
ings are usually well attended, and the
| leaders and their helpers work Industrious
Iy TO secure good houses.
Mercenary Motives Alleged.
ITO the visitor at these meetings" said
Mr. Sarason, of the Jewish Daily News, .
lit appears as though there were hundreds
of Jewish Christians; but those who know
the people who make up the congregation
know that all those who are not attracted
by curiosity are there for mercenary mo-
tive | live right in the heart of the COM
munity know the people, and have more
than ordinary opportunities for receiving
information, but l have yet to see man,
woman or child who was converted by
one of the apostate missionaries whose
conversion could not be traced TO some ma
terial reward.
One of the small missions is at 20 Pitt
Street This is the place which has re-
ceived more than ordinary notice, because
] ii was said tha; il was there that the little
} boys had crosses tattooed on their arms.
| The Sunday school room is a dingy
: apartment on the second floor of a small
building The lower floor is occupied by a
| tailor shop, and the basement by dealer
5 in East Side hardware. When Tribune
e representative called there one evening last
week he was taken to the Sunday school
] door by a little girl, who left her playmates
in the street to show where ''Mr. Friedman
the missionary might be found.
81 don't go TO his school," she said, ir
an apologetic way, because we are al
/, Jews; but lots of children go, and sing ant
4 have pienics and parties and such things
The occupant of the room, which wa:
. furnished with table and chairs anC
: shop character He wore glasses and spok
: :, with the characteristic twang, and it scenes
!, huge joke to those whom he was address
ing when he said:
= For four years have been a Christian
My name is Ignatz Friedman, and / on
;, the assistant to the missionary, who's
= name is Nathan Friedman" He said tina
:, a class of about twenty children attende
: services at his room every Saturday, an
:. that they sang songs, repeated verses froI
:, | the New Testament and received instruc
n tion in the Lutheran faith.
Il I'VE teach the children the Command
', ments in German, he said, "and explai
81 them according to the Christian faith. Blu
X we find them stiff -necked people, unwillin
g to see the light and slow to accept Chris
We have much TO contend with here. Th
= | Jews 20 so far as to accuse us OF brandin
" their children which is outrageous IN
j. truth / have been a Christian four years
IT but no one ever thought of branding me.
I'd One of his visitors suggested that pos
IL sibly he was spared because no amount {
,e branding could make people believe thu
,e he was not Jew. He spoke OF the OF
ye stacles which his former coreligionis
IN placed in his way, but said later that all h
of shop associates in the tailor shop whel
al he worked were Jews. and that his EN-
10 ployer was a Jew and that on the who
70 there was not so much opposition to him.
On the way out of the housce the Tr
:, bune" man asked the people on the foc
- why they allowed a meschumith TO carr
+ on his work in the came house WITH then
ot What do we care?" said the woma
g &h.f o. . 4