Japanese Convert to Judaism — Dr. Kotsuji's Interesting Story
His publisher, Bernard Geis,
encouraged him to write his life
story. In "From Tokyo to Jeru-
salem" are incorporated many
experiences—the author's child-
hood in Japan, his acquisition as
a young teen-ager of an Old Test-
ament which he began to study
avidly, his conversion to Christ-
ianity and his ordination as a
full-fledged minister before he
had embraced Judaism.
He studied and later taught
ory of the minute group of Jews in is the matter of minhagim, the
Japan, the developments during observing practice." He adds:
"Because I was converted in
the war subsequent to the attack
Jerusalem, the Orthodox cus-
on Pearl Harbor and the war-time
toms are natural to me, but the
sufferings.
Upon his return to Japan after Judaism I introduce will not
his conversation to Judaism, Prof. be described as any of the three:
Kotsuji established the Institute of It will be a genuine, living Jud-
aism, which will take into con-
Hebrew Culture in Japan. He has
lectured extensively. He explains sideration the special nature of
his new religious credo by stating the Japanese mind." He states
that he will avoid joining up with that he plans to "spread know-
either Reform, Conservative or ledge of Judaism throughout
Orthodox, that he does not like Japan."
Dr. Kotsuji's autobiographical
schism, that he is convinced "that
the difference between the three work is valuable as a comment-
Intermarriage Figures Meet Criticism
at 63rd Historical Society Conference
CINCINNATI (JTA)—Data pub-
lished on Jewish intermarriage in
Washington were questioned at the
63rd annual meeting of the Amer-
ican Jewish Historical Society,
which concluded its three-day ses-
sions here Monday. Dr. Leon J.
Obermayer of Philadelphia was re-
elected• president.
Taking issue with published fig-
ures on intermarriage in Washing-
ton was Dr. Dorothy Steinberg of
Washington, one of the principal
speakers at the gathering attended
by 400 guests and members of. the
society.
She pointed out that the data in
a recently published survey, which
attracted nationwide attention,
was based on figures obtained in
1956 and had changed since that
year. The three national elections
which have taken place since that
survey, she said, have altered the
situation in Washington.
Hebrew and his interest with Jews
- grew with time. It was during that
year that he came in closest contact
with Jews, and at Kobe he had
occasion to be of great help to
refugees who flocked there. He
In her critique, Dr. Steinberg
faced many dangers, - was person-
also said that one of the studies,
ally threatened with arrests sev-
dealing with racial and ethnic
eral times, but he resorted to
prejudices in Chicago, had mis-
methods of averting crises and of
interpreted the attitude of Jews
being helpful to the needy Jews.
who --had allegedly shown "a
Part of his life's story is the
greater level of prejudice
account he gives of his difficulties
toward others" than Gentiles
in overcoming the prejudices that
showed toward Jews.
seeped into Japan as a result of
Pointing out that "prejudice"
Hitler's influence and of the Jap-
anese-German alliance. It emerges was not adequately or uniformly
as an unnatural factor in an area defined, she declared that those
where there were so few Jews Jews who showed prejudice re-
and comparatively little prejudice ferred chiefly to "bias" against in-
termarriage, rather than to an at-
against them.
The very last portions of Prof. titude against non-Jews as such.
Kotsuji's book relates the final
Prof. Oscar Janowsky, of the
steps that led to his becoming a City College of New York, said
Jew. It is an autobiographical rec- that American Jews should join
ord of an interesting man who other forces in behalf of equality
accounts for social and religious for all Americans, but should not
conditions in his country, the hist- permit Jewish institutions to be-
come nonsectarian. "The issue," he
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
said, "must be faced squarely, and
the issue in Jewish communal in-
8—Friday, March 26, 1965
stitutions is "non-discrimination,
not nonsectarianism."
"All Americans should be wel-
come in Jewish institutions but
the character and justification for
Jewish agencies must be their Jew-
ish programming and orientation,"
he stressed. "I believe that Jews,
like other liberal Americans, have
the responsibility of cooperating
in the effort to combat poverty
and discrimination. As individuals,
they should and do join with non-
Jewish Americans in promoting
the cause of freedom and equality
for all, regardless of race, color or
creed." (Related story page 38.)
Israel Requests
Membership on
UN Body for Asia
WELLINGTON, New Zealand,
(JTA) — A letter from Mrs.
Golda Meir, Israel's foreign min-
ister, requesting that Israel be
admitted to full membership in
the UN Economic Commission for
Asia and the Far East, was Cir-
culated to the delegates attending
the commission's 21st session.
The letter was circulated to the
300 delegates from 34 countries by
U Nyun, of Burma, executive sec-
retary of ECAFE.
Mrs. Meir stated in her request
that Israel is entitled to full mem-
bership in ECAFE because, as an
Asian state, it is "an integral
part of the continental area within
which the Commission operates."
The Arab states have, thus far,
successfully kept Israel from
ECAFE membership.
She asked that action on Israel's
membership be taken at the cur-
rent session.
Ed
ary on world affairs, as an evalua-
tion by a noted scholar of world
human relations and of conditions
in Japan.
In his reference to the Bible
he had found as a youngster and
to the smallness of the Jewish
community in Japan, Dr. Kotsuji
tells the early stages of his intro-
duction to biblical lore and states:
"The Jewish religion in Japan
has been virtually nonexistent. Al-
though a few Jews came to Japan
through China in the ninth cent-
ury, and a few more with the
Portuguese traders in the 16th, it
wasn't until the 19th century that
there was anything like Jewish re-
ligion in the country. After the
Meiji Restoration some Jews from
12101 JOSEPH CAMPAU
the Western nations settled in the
Minutes Away via.
•
country as businessmen and trad-
Ford Expressway
ers. By the time I first came • •
across the Bible there were per- •
TO 8-1230
haps 100 Jewish families in the ••••••••••••••••••••••04
country, mainly in Nagasaki and
Yokohama.
MORE REPEAT
"The Bible I found in the second-
hand store was a translation made
CUSTOMERS SAY:
by a Japanese-American mission-
ary group nearly a hundred years
"DEXTER CHEVROLET
before. How it came to be there I
IS THE BEST PLACE
do not know; perhaps a backslid-
TO GET YOUR CAR."
ing convert to Christianity sold it.
What matters is that I opened it,
• Better Service
and standing there in the dusty
• Better Deals
book store began to read."
Better Every Way
There were periods of starva-
tion and suffering in Kotsuji's
life. His story is that of a man
who came to his new faith out of
a deep conviction. It is a story
that was inspired by a love for
Torah, Judaism and Zion. He had
become dedicated to Judaism and
to the Zionist ideal. "From Tokyo
20811 W. 8 Mile Road
to Jerusalem" is a remarkable
account of a dedicated convert to
KE 4-1400
Judaism.
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SWY
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Several years ago, a distinguish-
ed leader in Conservative Juda-
ism created a sensation by advocat-
ing a campaign to proselytize non-
Jews. He especially urged such an
effort among the Japanese.
He was not taken too seriously,
but there were several converts in
Japan and the autobiography of
one of them will certainly arouse
deep interest.
In "From Tokyo to Jerusalem—
The Autobiograpohy of a Japanese
Convert to Judaism," Abraham Kot-
suji gives an interesting account
of the trek he followed from the
Shinto to the Jewish faith.
He stems from a very promin-
ent Japanese family and the evo-
lution of the questioning youth,
Setschan, whose name, after the
circumstance, at the Sarei Zedek
Hospital in Jerusalem—Sept. 20,
1959, when he • was 60—became
Abraham ben Abraham, experi-
enced many trials and tribula-
tions until he finally associated
himself completely with Judaism.
4••••••••••••••••••••••IS
•i
I
•
• •
I
313—TRinity 3-2212
PI
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