“Denial from Mr. Freshman.” New York Times, April 20, 1893, p. 9.

DENIAL FROM MR. FRESHMAN

HE SAYS THAT MR. SILVERMAN'S STATEMENTS ARE UNTRUE.

Declared to be Speaking on Something About Which He Knows Nothing — Mr. Benjamin's Affidavits Alleged to Contain Nothing New — Work of Converting Jews Just Begun — Talk of Improper Conversions Asserted to be Nothing More than Arrant Nonsense.

The City Mission and Tract Society discussed yesterday what the society should do, if anything, in regard to the agitation over the work of converting the Jews to Christianity in this city.

This society has taken rather an active part in the movement for the conversion of the Jews. Morris K. Jesup is its President, and his interest in mission work in this city was abundantly and generously shown in the De Witt Memorial Church in Rivington Street, which he built and presented to the Presbyterian Board of Missions. This church has maintained a special mission for the conversion of the Jews, and a good deal of the criticism that has been made by the Jewish rabbis and journals has been leveled at the work in progress at that church. The Rev. Dr. A. F. Schauffler, who is general manager of the society, has also taken an active interest in the mission work among the Jews, and both of these gentlemen have been sustained in everything that they have done by the society itself.

The pioneer in this city in mission work for the conversion of the Jews is the Rev. Jacob Freshman, who is pastor of the Hebrew Church of 17 St. Mark's Place. Mr. Freshman is a converted Jew, the son of a rabbi in Hungary. He was confirmed in the Jewish faith at the age of thirteen years, at which time, as he says, he had never heard of Christianity except as a thing to be despised.

A few years later he learned something of the Christian religion, which led him to study it more closely and finally brought about his conversion and his ordination as a pastor. He has since had the satisfaction of bringing within the Christian Church his father, the rabbi, and having a Gentile for a wife, his family relations are now entirely Christian. Mr. Freshman had been a Christian preacher for about fifteen years when he came to this city. Opportunity was offered him on his arrival to accept the charge of parishes in which his work would be attended with a minimum of hardship and a maximum of comfort.

He said that he felt that he had been called upon to preach Christianity to the Jews, and, taking no thought of the opportunities that came in his way for more comfortable occupation, he started the services from which the present movement for the conversion of the Jews have developed.

I began work here,” he said, “without any definite arrangement for myself, but I succeeded in interesting some of the churches and some of the pastors in what I had set out to do. During all the time of my work I have never been in receipt of a stated salary, and have taken no thought of my personal welfare, feeling that the duty of converting the Jews had been specially imposed upon me, and that if I devoted myself to it earnestly means would be provided for the continuance of the work.

“Starting services in a small hall down town with very light attendance, our mission grew to the dignity of a church and we acquired the property in St. Mark's Place where we now worship. The property cost us $25,000, and within a very few years after it had been acquired we managed to clear it entirely of debt. Within the walls of my church eight men have been converted who have since become Christian ministers or missionaries, and four more of my Hebrew converts are now in seminaries preparing for mission work. From this small beginning, also, has been developed a general interest among the churches in the conversion of the Jews, and the missions in the city that are now in operation attest the earnestness with which the city churches have taken up this most important work.

“There is a mission in the old Allen Street Presbyterian Church, which has been removed to Forsyth Street. At this mission the Rev. Dr. Faust is in charge. He was a Jewish rabbi and was baptized with his family in the church of which I am pastor. The Methodist Church has also established a local mission for the conversion of the Jews, in connection with the Allen Street Memorial Church, which has been removed to Rivington Street. The Rev. A. C. Gabelein, who was formerly employed as assistant in my church, and who is a Gentile, is in charge of that mission. He is thoroughly acquainted with the Hebrew tongue, however, and was a very valuable missionary while in my church. The Methodists may well expect good service from him in the new post to which be has been assigned.

“The Baptists have established a mission in the Mariners' Church, in Henry Street, which has been put in charge of Mr. A. Lichtenstein, a converted Jew from the West. He is so much encouraged over his work that be expects to start a church. For several years the Episcopalians have been trying to do work in the conversion of the Jews, and have been reasonably successful in it. The denomination experimented for a long time with Gentile missionaries, but its mission is now in charge of a converted Jew, the Rev. Mr. Lehrman. The Lutherans are doing mission work in this line also, through the efforts of a Mr. Lanzsman, who is a converted lay Jew.

“Lately a mission was started in Chicago by a young man who became converted to Christianity in the hall in which I preached at Grand and Allen Streets in the early years of my ministry here. He attended the Congregational Seminary at Chicago and became a regularly-ordained minister of that denomination. His name is Angel. Among the converts that he has succeeded in bringing within his church is a Jewish rabbi of Chicago named Freuder. Branch missions will also be established elsewhere as the movement continues.

“There is great opportunity for them already in such cities as Pittsburg, Cincinnati, and Philadelphia, and we expect Jews converted in the New-York missions to go into the new fields and preach the Gospel. They must expect strong opposition from their own race. The Jews don't like it; neither do the heathen like mission work anywhere. Still the missionaries go out and the work is done.

“All this talk about improper means of bringing Jews within the Christian Church is the most utter and arrant nonsense. When I read that Rabbi Silverman says that converted Jewish missionaries who are hired by the Christians are corrupt; that they have become missionaries for revenue, receiving a commission for every convert that they bring within the Church, and dividing the commission with the convert, I am simply disgusted that a man pretending to be intelligent should lend himself to any such utterance.

“He seems to assume that the Christian people of this city are bereft of their senses, and that converts to Christianity are made by bribery. Can any fair-minded person suppose that this Christian community would sustain mission workers who resorted to any such methods?

“The assertion that Mr. Silverman makes, whether he makes it in good faith or in anger, or for the sake of effect, or for whatever purpose, is simply a lie. He tries to speak upon something about which he knows nothing. The subject of mission work is a matter that is wholly out of his range. No man would go to a carpenter for a pair of shoes, and no man would go to Dr. Silverman for advice or instruction in regard to mission work.

“I have no patience to discuss the affidavits that have been brought to the front by Mr. Benjamin by which he hopes to show that improper means are used to bring the Jews within the Christian Church, and that some of the Jews have used the Church merely to see what they could get out of it. Wherever there is wheat there are also tares. It is not at all surprising that some of those who pretended conversion should have slipped backward. With regard to the affidavits which he now produces, however, I think it only right that this community should understand that they contain absolutely nothing new. The same affidavits have been in Mr. Benjamin's possession and have been given more or less circulation for a long time. He has tried to use them for the discredit of missionary workers in this city, and the more he has tried the greater has been the growth of the work he was fighting.

“I have no criticism to make upon Mr. Benjamin. He has tried to do me injury not only in my pastoral relation, but by bodily harm. I cherish no resentment toward him, however, and of course, would not impute a motive to him. There have been various stories about which accounted for his action, tending to show that what he had done was not prompted by zeal for the old faith or by unselfishness, but with regard to that I know nothing and do not care to speak. I do know that he has tried to fight mission work and has signally failed in all he has attempted. There is no doubt that the most recent attempt will prove quite as futile as any of its predecessors.

“The work of converting the Jews is one to which the Christian Church all over the world should devote itself. It is one of the commands of Scripture. In this country it has but just begun. In Europe it is more advanced. We shall all live to see interest in the work here spreading among the Churches and the conversion of many Jewish families to Christianity. England has produced four Bishops for the Christian Church from among converted Jews. That is an example and a result that may well inspire the patient workers of this country when their enemies most bitterly assail them.