Some Jewish Witnesses For Christ
specimens of these interruptions: Once, when the missionary was giving a
brief exposition of the first chapter of St. John's Gospel--"In the
beginning was the Word," etc., "'Logos' as 'word' here is in the Greek
synonymous with 'Memrah' in the Rabbinical writings," he remarked. A Jew
sprang to his feet in a second. "You cunning Mr. Missionary!" he
shouted--"trying to prove your statements from the Talmud, which you
profess to disbelieve, because you cannot prove them from the Old
Testament!" Quick as a flash came the rejoinder: "David, in the
thirty-third Psalm, sixth verse, says: 'By the "word" of the Lord were
the heavens established.'" The assailant was effectually silenced, but
so angry was he at having been outwitted in public by one so much
younger than himself that whenever he chanced to see the missionary
approaching he would quickly cross to the other side of the street.
On another occasion a Jew said: "You know perfectly well how wrong and
wicked it is for a man to desert the religion of his fathers. Why, even
the Gentiles despise those who are guilty of such an act!" "What do you
mean by the religion of our fathers?" was asked in return. "Why, of
course, I mean the religion of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob," the Jew
answered. "But Abraham departed from the faith of his fathers. This
'apostasy' was imputed unto him for righteousness. You reproach me
because I have departed from the religion of my fathers, which you claim
to be the 'true religion.' Listen for a moment to the witness borne by
Moses and the prophets concerning the religion of our fathers. Moses,
our great lawgiver, says: 'Understand, therefore, that the Lord thy God
giveth thee not the good land to possess for thy righteousness; for thou
art a stiffnecked people.' 'You have been rebellious against the Lord
from the day that I knew you.' Isaiah the evangelist, says of our
fathers: 'From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no
soundness in it, but wounds and bruises, and putrifying sores.' 'Ah!
sinful nation!' and mark the expression: 'A seed of evil-doers, children
that are corrupters.' In another place the same prophet says: 'Woe is
me, for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in
the midst of a people of unclean lips.' Jeremiah says: 'Can the
Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? Then may ye also do
good that are accustomed to do evil.' The weeping prophet declares: 'All
these nations are uncircumcised, and the house of Israel is
uncircumcised.' Jehovah himself says to Ezekiel: 'Son of man, I send
thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath
rebelled against me; they and their fathers have transgressed against me
to this very day. For they are impudent children and hard-hearted.' The
suffering prophet again says: 'Thou art not sent to a people of a
strange speech, and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel; not
to many people of a strange speech, and of an hard language, whose words
thou canst not understand; surely had I sent thee to them, they would
have hearkened unto thee. But the house of Israel will not hearken unto
thee; for they will not hearken unto Me, for all the house of Israel are
impudent and hard-hearted.' Jesus the great teacher, said: 'Ye are of
your father, the devil.' Now, in view of all these assertions, can you
still insist upon my still adhering to the 'religion of my fathers.'
You say: 'The Gentiles despise those who have departed from the religion
of their ancestors.' That statement can be easily disproved from
history. Jesus, Paul and the other founders of the Christian Church all
apostasized from the faith of their fathers. Luther, a Roman Catholic,
became the leader of the Reformation. Neander, Edersheim, Saphir and a
host of other converted Jews have been indeed 'the glory of Israel, and
lights to lighten the Gentiles.'"
These Saturday services were continued for more than two years. An
evening school, where Jewish people, employed during the day, could
receive gratuitous instruction in English, was carried on with a great
degree of success. A protracted strike among the tailors, cloak-makers
and operators on men's clothing, the principal industries of this
settlement, reduced the people to the direst poverty; hundreds were on
the verge of starvation. In this, the time of their need, Mr. Schapiro,
at his own expense, opened a soup-kitchen in his rooms, himself serving
the tables, and for more than two weeks scores were fed. That no offence
might be given to their prejudices, the meat was "Kosher," that is,
bought at a Jewish butcher's, and prepared by a Jewish cook. This kind,
thoughtful treatment did much to disarm their repugnance against him as
a Christian. The missionary also opened a similar mission in the
Sixteenth Ward, Eastern District, where there is a Jewish population of
50,000, and for nearly a year carried on the two stations, holding a
service at Brownsville on Saturday morning, and a second one in the new
mission in the afternoon. Finally his committee deemed it best to
confine his labours entirely to the Eastern District station, as they
considered it the more hopeful field, on account of the large number of
Jews in the vicinity. Meanwhile a denominational mission had been
established in Brownsville. The Brooklyn Christian Mission to the Jews
has from the outset been interdenominational. This work in the Eastern
District was not inaugurated without opposition. The missionary and the
men who assisted him in the distribution of the notices for the services
and tracts were targets for the stones of crowds of Jewish boys. The
older people greeted them with sneers, derision, offensive epithets, and
sometimes with curses. Among the Jewish boys, Samuel ----, acted as
leader and instigator in the attacks. After a while he ventured into the
mission, intending to create a disturbance, and, if possible, break up
the services, but the story of a Saviour's love fell upon his ears, and
as has many times happened in the history of missions, he who "came to
mock remained to pray." Samuel was convinced, converted, and for two
years has been a consistent member of a church in this city.
After seven years of mission work, owing to the combined labour of
carrying on the service and collecting funds for the maintenance of the
mission, his health broke down and he gave up the work.
In June, 1900, Mr. Schapiro published the first number of "The People,
the Land and the Book." He had a theory that much of the variance
existing between Jews and Christians had its foundation in mutual
ignorance and misapprehension of their different religious beliefs. He
designed to reach both parties in a spirit of love.
Mr. Schapiro for eleven years had no home, no intercourse with his own
family. Having become an "apostate," he was worse than dead to them. All
his overtures for reconciliation were scornfully rejected. To be cut off
from all one's relatives, to have no home life, is ever a great
affliction, particularly to a Jew, for the Jewish attachment and
devotion to home and family are proverbial. A Jew who has embraced
Christianity can sing in all sincerity, "Jesus, I my cross have taken,
all to leave and follow Thee," for it is his veritable experience.
One day he chanced to meet a fellow-townsman, who, to his great
surprise, told Mr. Schapiro of the latter's cousin, who lived in New
York. Of course he lost no time in hunting up this relative. At first he
was greeted with sharp, bitter reproach, for his change of faith, but
when it was manifest that his love for Christ had not obliterated, but
rather intensified, his love of kindred, speedy reconciliation followed.
Mr. Schapiro learned that his father had lost his property, and also
that his eldest son had died. Letters were exchanged, and complete
reconciliation ensued.
The painful situation of the Jews in Russia made Mr. Schapiro anxious on
his family's behalf. Through the assistance of kind friends he was
enabled to bring over two of his sisters. They reached there one
Thursday, and a week later found employment. There were still eight
remaining at home, father, mother, brothers and sisters. Through the
efforts of the once deemed lost brother "Joseph" they were enabled to
go, and are now comfortably situated in their own home in New York.
Mr. Schapiro's life is not lacking in romance. Some years ago, while he
was conducting the mission in Boerum Street, a pretty Jewish girl of
thirteen, whose parents lived opposite, frequently attended the
services. After a while the family moved and Mr. Schapiro lost sight of
his little friend. After he had left the mission, and was conducting the
magazine, they chanced to meet again. Their renewed acquaintance ripened
into love, and a year after they were married. Mrs. Schapiro is a
charming little woman, bright and attractive. Their union has been
blessed with a darling little daughter, Beatrice Sylvia, now nineteen
months old. The former homeless wanderer rejoices in a pleasant,
tastefully arranged home, and a wife who delights to minister to his
comfort, and is hospitable in the extreme, always welcoming his friends,
and leaving nothing undone which can minister to their comfort.
This paper has already far exceeded the limits originally intended;
still it seems impossible to close it without some slight character
delineations. Mr. Schapiro, so the Jews who come from his native place
tell us, is of a good family; his father was a man of wealth and
position, and was noted for his rigid adherence to the tenets of
orthodox Judaism. One can easily understand how sore a trial it must
have been for such a Jewish father to have his son embrace Christianity,
and what in his opinion was still more disgraceful, to have that son
become a missionary of the Cross among his own people. Mr. Schapiro is
intensely fond of books, is a good student, ambitious to be thoroughly
educated, and is already quite a forcible speaker. Fearlessness forms
one of the strong points of his character. He is positive, liberal,
without being a radical, conservative, yet not bigoted. He has what is
an absolute requisite to all who undertake leadership of any kind--good
executive ability. Naturally sensitive, as a missionary among the Jews
he has had many a fiery ordeal to pass through and many hard reproofs to
bear. But to his credit, be it said, he has been enabled to retain his
patience and to exhibit a forgiving disposition. He had a very correct
idea of the propriety and reverence with which all religious services
should be conducted. Never using cant expressions, and although gifted
with a keen sense of the humorous, he never stooped to ridiculous
illustrations, which, though they create laughter, leave no lasting
impression for good. He has never sought notoriety. Mr. Schapiro is
still a young man, and like all young people, has much to learn, but if
health and strength are granted, he bids fair to become an able advocate
of the Messiah among his own brethren after the flesh, the Jews.[22]
[22] "The People, the Land and the Book," Miss Mary C. Sherburne. July,
1905.
SCHERESCHEWSKY, Dr. Samuel Isaac Joseph, from 1877 to 1883 missionary
bishop of the American Church in China. He was born at Tanroggen, in
Russian Lithuania, in the year 1831, and brought up in the religion and
learning of the Jews, graduating from the University of Breslau. The
reading of the New Testament in a Hebrew translation, which had fallen
into his hands, convinced him of the truth of Christianity. This must
have been the Society's version, as at that time Professor Delitzsch's
and Salkinson's versions were not in existence; and, therefore, the
Society was the first agent in the Bishop's conversion. Soon after his
confession of Christ he went to the United States. He acquired his