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a
Jew?
Questions Asked at the Hall of Religion
At a Century of Progress in Chicago
By Albert T. Bilgray
Albert T. Mil gray is a student of the Hebrew Union College. This narrative, written for the Hebrew
Union College Monthly, presents some amusing views of the non-Jew regarding the Jews.
I N AN exposition intended to demonstrate a
Century of Progress in the medical, technical,
and mechanical sciences there stands a build
ing which modestly calls itself the Hall of Re
ligions. Here under one roof are gathered ex
hibits representing some twenty-seven sects and
among them is one bearing the legend JIJDAISAJ.
It is an interesting exhibit. In the center, attract
ing one’s immediate attention, is an ark flanked
by two menorahs, such as might be found in any
synagogue. The curtain of the ark is drawn so
that the sepher torahs it contains may be clearly
seen. On both sides of the entrance are attrac
tive show cases, the first devoted to books and
scrolls, and the other to various ceremonial ob
jects. Here one may see Masechet Erubin playing
partner to Philipson’s “The Reform Movement
in Judaism,” or a medieval book on abbreviations
next to Kohler's “Jewish Theology,” or the scroll
of Esther next to YVaxman’s “History of Jewish
Literature." Some fifteen books arc here appro
priately gathered to represent a bird’s-eye view of
Judaism. On the other side of the entrance is
another show case, this one devoted to ceremonial
objects: spice boxes for the Havdallah service, ves
sels for the Duchan service, phylacteries, a tall it h,
Seder dishes, crowns for Sepher Torahs, a Mezuza,
oil lamps.
As appropriate background for the exhibit are
the excellent murals by a well known Jewish
artist, beautifully blended and executed. These
panels depict ten significant ideas of Judaism,
namely, The Law (Monotheism), Providence,
Social Justice, Peace and Security, Religious Free
dom, Faith, The Sabbath, Dignity of Labor, De
mocracy, and The Messianic Hope. In the two
main corners of the exhibit two automatic belop-
tican machines (hidden from view) flash on two
screens the story of Jewish progress in the last
century. The contribution of the Jew to music,
sculpture, painting, literature, architecture, drama,
medicine, statesmanship, agriculture, general sci
ence, child welfare, social service, philanthropy,
education, communal organization, and religion is
pictorially and vividly told. Thus, although a
small exhibit, JUDAISM is fairly and adequately
represented as far as the fast moving tourist at
a World’s Fair is concerned. Lest any aspect of
an apparently self-explanatory exhibit mystifying
the visitor, hostesses from various Chicago Temple
Sisterhoods and two rabbinical students stand
ready to answer questions and offer explanations.
It was in the capacity of rabbinical-student-solver
of Judaism’s perplexing problems that the present
writer represented the Jewish Exhibit.
The initiation into my task was accelerated by
the almost complete ignorance of the Christian
visitor of Jewish ceremonial objects. Despite the
fact that the scrolls stood clearly and easily rec
ognizable, innumerable people asked: “What are
those relics?”, “Are these altar cloths?", “What
do these vestments mean?" Even after the details
pertaining to the scrolls and the scroll covers were
made clear, there came questions which sorely
tested one’s self-control. An especially enlighten
ing remark came from a middle-aged lady who
after listening to three consecutive explanations
pointed to the scroll-cover and asked, “Does the
Rabbi put that over his head when he reads from
the scroll?" Some looked awed and stupefied at
the scrolls and with a trembling voice which
denoted a feeling of the mysterium tremendum,
asked, “Do you still have these things?" Others
looked at the scroll crowns and asked whether
they were used as incense-burners, while some de
sired to know when the rolls make music. “Do the
bells ring before or after they are put into the
ark?" But even those who recognized that the
objects displayed were scrolls, did not overwhelm
us with their perspicacity. At least half of the in
terested visitors wanted to know “whether these
are the original scrolls” while some of the per
sistent seekers for knowledge sought to know
whether “these were the scrolls which Moses
brought down from Mount Sinai?" and before
receiving an answer confidently remarked, “Gee,
aren’t they well preserved!” Others, too, there
were who were sure of their ground. Innumerable
times one overheard comments such as “It’s the
Chinese exhibit,” or “Don’t
the Chinese have a fine ex
hibit?” Highly illuminating
was the following confession
made by an elderly maiden:
“For many years I have
been teaching my Sunday
School classes that Jesus read
out of a scroll. I never knew
what a scroll was until I came
here. Whenever my students
would ask me what a scroll
was I would always tell them
to look it up and bring the
answer the following session.
I always intended to do the
same but somehow both 1 and
the children always forgot.”
The fundamentalist belongs
to a category all by himself—
but a large category it is, for
it consists of 95 per cent of the
visitors at the Fair. Wry sin
cere in his views, he tried time
and again to save my poor soul
from eternal damnation.
Hopefully he would return
each time, expecting finally to
win me over. One woman
came in for a week straight
and asked, “Have you accepted
Jesus Christ yet?” and upon
hearing my simple answer of,
“Not vet,’ would invariably
reply, “You ought to; it’s
your only salvation!” Mis
sionaries would often use the
following approach, “It’s your
only chance; if you don’t ac
cept Christianity now, it’s as
if you were there with the Pharisees who cn.cif
Him!” Logic did not deter their appeal as <
following indicates, “You are the original p'opj]
therefore, you ought to accept the Messiah h
Some, apparently unmindful of Hitler ard \L
Aryan hypothesis, would say, “You do not w ,-J
persecution and yet you do not accept Cl risrff
while others, thinking anent speculation as to tjJ
kez would very naively ask, “When does th* M
lenium come according to your calculation ?” 0 j
“When will you accept Christianity?” The e
such pathos in their voices as they would sadly b j
hopefully ask, “Why do you not accept J*sus v
The professional missionary, constantly d: i
or leaving literature wherever he goes, uses 1
subtle though just as fallacious approach. ForgttJ
ting all about modernism within Christianity, .1
will insist that Judaism has demonstrated its ;
solute failure in that it has Reform and Orthodo
wings.
“We cannot even consider the Reform Jew I
Jew. He has strayed so much from the trur patrI
that there is absolutely no hope for him since h*
will never return to Christianity, which is th-
true Judaism. Thank God, that there are stil
orthodox Jews left; not infested by modernism I
they will yet point the way to the Millenium, wir
the second coming of Jesus and the exaltation o-
the true Jew."
One missionary pointed out that a “good Jew]
was automatically a Jewish-Christian, which :
the very best kind of a Christian one can be.
“My name is Schmuel Yaakov Williamson, *
you see I am really a Jew—but the real kind ot A
Jew—a Jew who is a Christian. Y ou see one in
every forty Jews is a Jewish-Christian which I
means there are 400,000 Jcwish-Christians in the I
world. At the same time only one Christian in
every 1169 Christians is a real Christian, so you
see there are more Jewish-Christians than there j
are real Christians. Of course, this is just right
because it fits in with the Scriptures which tel! I
us that it is the Jews who will lead the path to j
the Millenium and the (Please turn to page 12
£4 H
Here one may see exhibits of the synagogue or of Jenvish contributions
to science or art.
[6]
* THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE