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Christian Atonement Asked for Historic Wrongs

(Continued from Page 1)
the 1920s to the Social Gos-
pel, he found himself at
variance in the last half of
the 1970s, almost half a
century later.
This may make sense to
him — and to many another
among his contemporaries
— but I still feel, as I wrote
to him about this matter in
March of this year, "an his-
toric injustice (should) be
acknowledged and apologies
rendered to the Stephen

Wise family and their
offspring unto a couple of
generations more . . . (that)
every day the righting of
this wrong is delayed, the
more disgraceful the matter
becomes."
It was thus refreshing
to find that his address on
certain aspects of modern-
ity, as given before a large
and appreciative audience at
the HUC-JIR Centennial
ceremonies, was progressive
and constructive, salutary

*

*

*

and forward-looking.
Best of all, however,
was his lecture to the Tan--
tur seminar in the Jewish/
Christian dialogue series,
for he began by noting that
the Six-Day War of 1967
and the Yom Kippur War of
1973 had radically changed
the attitudes of both Jews
and Christians, making
them keenly aware of re-
aligned Jewish interests and
sympathies, changing- the
nature of Judaism's priori-

Dr. Voss' Letter to Dr. Marty

In his letter to Dr. Marty,
Dr. Voss chastised him for
the following item which
Marty printed in the Jan.
7-14 issue of "Christian Cen-
tury:"
The Guilty by Nonasso-
ciation Award, Senator
Joseph R. McCarthy Me-
morial Division, goes to
Franklin H. Littell, who
accounted for the murder
of six million Jews in Nazi
Germany in these lines (in
the Journal of EcumeniCal
Studies, Summer 1973, p.
493): "For a Christian . . .
the bitter truth still re-
mains: the murderous an-
ti-Semitism of the death
camps was only possible
because of the theological
and cultural anti-Semi-
tism of an Adolf Stoecker,
an Arnold J. Toynbee, an
editor of "The Christian
Century" like Charles
Clayton Morrison, an edi-
tor of the "United Church
of Canada Observer" like
A. C. Forrest." In his new
book Littell cinched the
award by same-sentence
linkage of Toynbee,
Stalin, Morrison and Hit-
ler.
Portions of Dr. Voss' let
ter follow:
The first question I bring
up is: how could you find it
possible to refer to your
erstwhile colleague and fel-
low historian, Franklin H.
Littell, so facetiously . . .
_Does one have to - docu-
ment "the theological and
cultural anti-Semitism of
an Adolph - Stoecker
(1835-1909) who, by found-
ing the Christian Social
Workers' Party and, in 1889,
changing its name to the
Christian Social Party,
caused the word "Christian"
to become synonymous with
anti-Jewish views and state-
ments?
Perhaps the data should
be spelled out for your
readers that Stoecker used
stereotyped slogans to at-
tack Jews as the moneyed
power in Germany and the
"dominating force in the
cultural life of the German
people, controlling the lib-
eral press" and playing
too prominent a part in
German intellectual cir-
cles.
He castigated Jews as
being aliens and by taking
the religious issue and tying
it to racialism- and ultra-
nationalism, he urged in
books and magazines and
newspapers, as well as be-
fore the German court
where he was chaplain until
forced to resign in 1891, that
Jewish civil rights be cur-

ties and the emphases
within Jewish culture —
real "turning points" in the
history of Jewish-Christian
relations.
He commented that
"sympathy with Israel's
integral link with the
Land' is an integral part of
the faith of Jews," for
many Jews believe this
wholeheartedly; but, he
maintained, -"we engage
in bad public relations if
we think that all Jews
do."
He made an interesting
admission by saying, "To
many of us, Zionism at one
time seemed to be just an-
other of the competing na-
tionalisms of the end of the
'19th Century, especially
because most of its leader-
ship, especially abroad, was
astonishingly and consist-
ently secular; most of us
Protestants knew few who
looked upon Zionism with
favor,' and most Reform
Jews did not."
Then he made a signifi-
cant statement: "Jews, how-
ever, who said, year after
year, 'Next year in Jerusa-
lem,' must have really been
saying something, some-
thing unique, something
extraordinary. This religios-
ity had been latent through
the years until 1948, and it
has become very explicit
ever since."
He contended that in
the whole matter of Israel-
America relations there is
an element of "mutual self-
interest, for the United
States does not want Israel
to go down, for it is 'a light

tailed, that Jews be ex-
Yes, I do; and it is with
cluded from all public of- pain and anguish that I
fices and staff positions in do so, for I admired him
public schools, that a nu- very much as a crusading
titerus clausus be insti-
editor and loved him dearly,
tuted in high schools and for he was a good friend
universities, and Jewish over several decades and an
immigration be drastically effective teacher.
cut.
What about. Arnold J.
But I know he was as
Toynbee? Have you forgot- wrong on Jews as a people
ten his disdain of Judaism and Judaism as a religion
and contemptuous reference and Zionism as a legitimate,
to it as "a fossil religion"? justified national expres-
Or his deeply engrained an- sion of Judaically oriented
ti-Zionism? And his refusal culture, as he was hope-
to reconsider his frequently lessly wrong in his positions
biased views?
on a half dozen other issues:
As for A. C. Forrest and the Social Gospel, pacifism,
his "United Church of Can- the "Outlawry of War"
ada Observer," his record, cause, isolationism (with a
which can be documented in view more benighted than
his own magazine and his even the Chicago Tribune
spurious Inter-Church and Colonel Robert McCor-
World Press syndicate of mick), prohibition, and mar-
some years back with riage-and-divorce (to this
widely circulated articles in day I cringe when I think of
the Protestant publications the unmitigated cruelty of
of many denominations in his wholly unwarranted at-
the United States and Can- tack on Henry Nelson Wie-
ada, has accurately re- man back in 1949!).
flected the prejudices which
for generations have charac- A Bicentennial Feature
terized Protestantism and
rendered it so ineffective
during the Hitler era — and
4 include Germany's Confes-
sional -Church in this - BY MORRIS SCHAPPES
indifferent to the British
charge.
Editor, Jewish Currents
repression
of Boston coloni-
When news of the peace
At the time of the Six-
als, a small group of Ameri-
treaty
with
England
Day War of 1967 Forrest
reached Charleston, Shef- can patriots, led by an inn
fulminated against Israel
tall Sheftall wrote to his keeper, a blacksmith, and
in much the same fashion
father
Mordecai: "We are Mordecai Sheftall, initiated
as did the late Henry Pit-
delivered
from a cursed, the resistance.
ney Van Dusen and in Oc-
Sheftall soon became
proud nation, Britton (sic)."
tober of that year, four
chairman of the Parochial
Mordecai
agreed:
"An
in=
months after the Israelis'
tier (sic) new scene will open Committee of Christ Church
victory, Forrest in a three-
itself, and we have the world Parish (including Sayan-
fold falsehood condemned
-nah), which established the
to
begin again."
Israel for her "treatment
Born in Savannah, Ga., first American government
of the Arab people in occu-
into a family that had come in Georgia. The Parochial
pied territory in the weeks
from
Prussia by way of Committee took over control
that followed the war, and
England
among the first of the port and custom-
the harsh, inhumane
boatload
of
Jews arriving in house, enforcing the boycott
treatment of the refugees
Savannah
in
1733, Mordecai by the First Continental
now, and the 19-year-old
was enterprising and pros- Congress. Georgia Gov.
record of inhumanity to
perous, as land-and-slave- James Wright waxed indig-
Palestinian refugees."
owner, rancher, saw-mill nant that "one Sheftall, a
Jew" was "issuing orders" to
Not only have these operator and merchant. By ship captains to take their
1772,
he
owned
almost
3,000
charges been refuted in the
cargoes elsewhere.
intervening years:but For- acres and perhaps a score or
With the war on, Shef-
rest has never acknowledged two of slaves.
By then he was a family tall in 1777 was appointed
the fact that 850,000 Jews
fled Arab lands in the last man, having married Commissary General of
28 years and were com- Frances Hart in Charles- Purchases and Issues to
pletely expropriated and ton Oct. 28, 1761, with the Georgia militia, with
dispossessed in the process, whom he had four sons, the rank of colonel, the
while Israel received these one dying in infancy, and highest, incidentally, at-
tained by any Jew during
Jewish refugees, along with two daughters.
Since the anti-British coa- the Revolution in state or
a million and one quarter
lition included big landown- Continental armies. His
more from 120 other lands,
settling them safely and ers and small farmers, slay- 15-year-old son Sheftall
eowners and free Blacks, became his assistant.
productively in tiny Israel.
artisans and professionals,
In 1778, Mordecai became
You might well ask: "Do Mordecai was from the be- Deputy Commissary of Is-
you then, by such judg- ginning an active political sues to Continental Troops
ments, intend to include force as a Whig in the co- in Georgia, and advanced
lony notorious for its Tories. considerable money of his
Charles Clayton Morrison
Aug. 10, 1775, while the own to pay for supplies (his
and the "Christian Century"
wealthiest Georgians were later petition for reimburse-
in this blanket indictment?"

to the world.' "
He laid great empha-
sis on Israel's "givenness,
for it is very much a fact of
Middle East life. It is here,
and it has a right to exist.
Its security must be de-
fended and strengthened."
When he finished, Dr.
Marty had convinced me at
least that these utterances
were a mutation in Protes-

tant thought, a break with
the past, and something of
an atonement, one might
say, for sins of omission and
sins of commission on the
part of many of us Chris-
tians. Perhaps I might, on
Stephen Wise's behalf, con-
sider it to be an apology of a
sort for the wrongs done
him by the "Christian Cen-
tury" in years past.

Booklet Details Role of U.S.
in Rebuilding of Jewish State

NEW YORK — The role
of the United States since
the Colonial period in the
fulfillment of the centuries-
old aspirations of the Jew-
ish people for the return to
their ancient homeland in
Palestine has just been doc-
umented in a brochure pub-
lished by the America-Israel
Friendship League.

Entitled "The Birth of
; Two Nations —
Q.
An
Historical
74 Account of a Na-
tion Born and a
People Reborn,"
the 28 -page
pa multi-colored
brochure documents Ameri-
ca's consistent support of
the rebuilding of Zion.
The booklet was edited
and researched by Ernest E.
Barbarash, with art work
by Paul Sharon.
The brochure focuses on
the major factors underly-
ing the bond between Amer-
ica and the state of Israel,
based on the common heri-
tage of democracy and lib-
erty shared by the peoples

of both countries. It further
outlines the parallels in the
struggle and ideals
founding fathers i-
oneers of both nations.
One fact brought to light
is that, beginning with Pres-
ident John Quincy Adams,
no less than 16 Presidents
championed the cause of the
rebuilding of the Jewish
homeland in Palestine. Mo-
reover, support for this idea
was affirmed and reaf-
firmed in joint resolutions
unanimously adopted by
both Houses of the U.S.
Congress and by the Legis-
lature of 32 states.
The work cites the sup-
port for rebuilding a Jewish
homeland by leaders of all
Christian denominations,
including the Mormon
Church, as well as that of
the entire organized Ameri-
can labor movement since
its beginning in 1886.
For copies of the bro-
chure, write America-Israel
Friendship League, 134 E.
39th St., New York, N.Y.
10016.

Mordecai Sheftall: Georgia Revolutionary

ment by the Continental
Congress was ignored).
With Sheftall, Mordecai
was captured Dec. 29, 1778
when the British occupied
Savannah; it was not until
July 14, 1780 that they were
exchanged for prisoners
held by the Americans.
An observant Jew (when
he visited a Gentile Whig ac-

tivist in backwoods Georgia,
he brought his kosher
slaughtering knife with
him), Mordecai was a foun-
der of the Jewish congrega-
tions of Savannah, then
Charleston and in 1782 of
Philadelphia. A Jefferson-
ian democrat , in 1794, he
was elected to the Georgia
legislature in 1796.

American Patriot Mordecai Sheftall