The Jewish outlook., 1908-01-03
The neshummed: Why He Is
Despised by the Jews


Summed, the converted Jew, is, es-
pecially to the one who hires himself
cut to a few well-meaning, but ILL
advised Christians on the pretense of
spreading the gospel among the Jews
and getting them into the fold-when
our Christian neighbOrs learn in what
ill repute such person stands among
us, that he is stunned as if he were
Infected with some dread disease,
they are uhpleasantly surprised and
even shocked, and probably conclude
that that is another evidence of the
Jews hardness of heart, his bigotry,
his intolerance of the belief of others,
and his general depravity. Our Chris
tian neighbOrs, as usual, do not know
the reasons and motives of our con
duct. and all their prejudices against
us spring from their ignorance If
they would know little more of our
history, especially our history during
the nineteen Christian centuries. and
if they could for little while think
themselves into our position. look at
things from our viewpoint. they
would not misjudge our conduct: they
would rather approve of it and sym.
pathiZe with us.
1t is a wcll-known fact that no Jew
has ever embraced orthodox Christi
anity from conviction. from an hon
est recognition of the superiority of
that faith 10 his own. History records
many backslidings, many defections
and apOstacics from our ranks. And
among these deserters some very dis
tinguished names are found. and by
! Christian nropagandists are paraded
to show the triumph of their faith.
Yet in all these eases of supposed con-
version there was no conversion at all
!. for there was no honest conviction
\ back of it. And should ease be shown
where honest conviction prompting
the change of belief could be demon
stratcd, it could be equally well dem
onstrated that there was lack of ra-
tionality. that there was mental aber-
ration. that in that person S mind II
''screw was loose somewhere. \
fool s or II lunatic s actions. of course
do not prove anything. For honest
and rational conversion from Juda-
ism to orthodox Christianity, from
monothcism To trinitarianism. from
the simple. sane and sublimely ETH
cal teachings of our prophets and
sagcs to belief in the miracles of
the New Testament. and i'm the doe
trine of salvation that is supposed to
follow such a belief. is psychologically
impossible. II is against the law that
rules the operations of the human
mind. This is not meant to east as.
PERSONS on Christians and their be-
lief. On the contrary. we respect
their belief. even though for the last
1.SOO years it has been the source of
all the jews troubles. And we fear
that Israel's troubles will continue as
long as orthodox Christianity contin-
ues to be the dominating faith. New
erthelcss. we say again. that for a ra-
tional Jew to become an honest Chris
tian is a psychological impossibility,
even as it is for rational Christian
to become an honest Mohammedan. or
Brahmin. or although. as
every thinking student will admit,
the distance between Judaism and
Christianity is far greater than that
between Christianity and the other
faiths mentioncd-cve as it is i'm
possible fo" rational Mohammedan
who understands his religion to be.
come an honest Christian. For relig
ion. like our every other mental pos
session, is largely a matter of hered-
ity. 1t is in our blood. We imbibe it