The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1901-11-09
WANDERING JEW
IS A BAD TYPE
Rabbi Voorsanger Talks
Of Modern Fiction
Writers.

In the second of a series of lectures on
the Wandering Jew Rabbi Voorsangcr
spoke last night at Temple Emanuel on
the character of the Jew as portrayed
in modern fiction. His discourse took the
form of an analy review of the works
of Rev. George Croley, General Lew
Wallace and Sienkowitz. He spoke in
part as follows:
In the last decades of the eighteenth century
! the legend of the Wandering Jew began to at
tract the attention of writers and poets Dur
ing the last half of the eighteenth century the
Wandering Jew became a beautiful theme and
the people of Israel became identified with that
lonely wanderer. For over three centuries the
Wandering Jew had been set aside as unworthy
the notice of the latter day historian.
Every prohibitive law, everything that could
be done to set him outside the pale of civiliza-
tion everything that could be conjured up to
exclude him from the sublime and cast him
into the ridiculous mold, was taken advantage
Of until the matter had reached its climax.
Goethe, however, depicted him in his true light
as only could a master word painter.
We therefore find two discordant types Of
the Wandering Jew. He is painted by some
writer's as the wandering of the accused
Cam. In the other he is a poetic being, gather
ing the ends of the mind of man.
Rev. George Croley and General Lew Wallace
have endeavored to present consistent jew
sh character, but in each instance have Sig
naly failed. Seraphiel is the Rev. Mr. Gro
ley's ideal; Ben-Hur that of General Wallace.
| Testimony SHOWS tndt the most STUBBORN re-
sistance against Rome made by son of
Israel. Neither Hannibal the Goths, the Van
dals. the Huns, nor the black visaged warriors
! of Africa put up more stubborn resistance
Both Croley and Wallace guilty of Great
ing a scandal that is a disgrace to any Chris
tian writer Both books treacherous to
the Jewish Is the prince of India.
All make the Jew appear as an accursed being.
1t matters not where the Jew is, or what he is
doing, he is always made out a traitor to
his faith and his country.
1t may be true that everything comes from the
Jew, but all the good that is in him is OBJ
scured by ecclesiasticism Take all the types OF
the Jew he is depicted by the story writer's
They first make you him in all his mag
nificence, only to cast him down and make him
a traitor to his belief and hurl him down to the
most despicable depths.
When you read these books be extremely eau
tious, there is always some subtle poison
within their leaves. The writer's lack the moral
courage to paint the historic character of the
Wandering Jew. These are few of the dam
gerous tendencies of a literature that is tainted
with ecclesiasticism. The time has come that
when a Christian wants to write a legend OF
the Wandering Jew he must change his plan
and bring the Jew and the Christian together
in unity But the story must be told as they
travel down the pathway of time together, rec
ognizing in each other. not what the church
has made them, opposing champions but rather
champions working to the one end and AWAITING
the coming of the Redeemer.
Owing to illness DR.. Jacob Nieto was
| unable last night to address the Congre,
| cation Sheriff. Israel. He will be unable
| to speak to-day, his place being taken by
| Rabbi Mannheim.