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Should Jews Proselytize: a Rejoinder Theology of Rabbi Eliezer, Namely, Other-Worldly Sanford Seltzer Salvation Is for Jews Only

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Should Jews Proselytize: a Rejoinder Theology of Rabbi Eliezer, Namely, Other-Worldly Sanford Seltzer Salvation Is for Jews Only wicked gentiles have no portion in the world-to- Theological Concerns Outweigh Demography come . Rabbi Joshua said to him . On sociological grounds, too, it should be re- there are righteous (tzadikim) among the gentiles membered that only fundamentalist, Evangelical who do have a portion in the world-to-come" (T. Christianity has been successful in its proselytizing San. 13.2 and San. 105a). In comparing these two efforts. The more liberal forms of Christianity, texts we see that Rabbi Eliezer's exclusivistic those which affirm some sort of theological plur- view is the theological basis for the prescription alism, are not only not gaining very many con- of what is to be told the prospective Jewish con- verts, they are actually shrinking in membership. vert (a Jewish version of the later patristic dictum, extra ecclesiam nulla salus, outside the church there Rabbi Schindler's proposal, then, is neither good is no salvation). Nevertheless, the view of Rabbi for the Jews nor is it justifiable on Jewish grounds. Joshua that conversion to Judaism is not a prere- It is not good for the Jews because it will not quisite for eternal other-worldly bliss became the increase our numbers and, I suspect, those con- normative Jewish view. (See Maimonides, Melachim, verts attracted by such proselytizing, will largely 8.11.) be religious dilettantes. And it is not Jewishly justifiable by either traditional or Liberal Jewish The point that merges from all of this is that criteria, both of which recognize Judaism as a his- subsequent to the Christian schism, rabbinic torical continuum into which Jews must place Judaism began to espouse the notion that themselves. gentiles did not have to become Jews to enjoy God's full favor. This notion clearly made Jewish The proposal was made, it seems to me, out of an proselytizing an effort that had to lose in com- ethnocentric concern for demography. I, too, am parison to Christian proselytizing. For prosely- in favor of there being more Jews. However, as tizing, as opposed to individually motivated the covenanted people of God, we should re- reasons for a convert him or herself approaching member that the only reason given for God's Judaism, is only successful when the proselytizer election of us is that somehow our few numbers can tell the prospective convert that his or her make us special (Deut. 7:7). Perhaps this should proposed religion is the only means to salvation, teach us that our salvation — in this world and in that all other religions are unacceptable in God's the world-to-come — depends on factors far eyes (see John 14:6). Therefore, a successful more spirtitual than mere masses of people. program of Jewish proselytizing would require as its adequate theological basis a return to the Should jews proselytize: a rejoinder theology of Rabbi Eliezer, namely, other-worldly Sanford Seltzer salvation is for Jews only. Proselytizing, like any other genuine religious activity, is ultimately Whether American Jews should actively prose- based on theology, not sociology or political lytize is an enormously significant and complex science. issue requiring a thorough airing of as many di- verse opinions as possible as Jews wrestle with a A return to such a theology is impossible for concept that admittedly runs counter to long both traditional and Liberal Jews today. It is im- held notions that we are not a proselytizing people. possible for traditional Jews because the subse- quent rabbinic doctrine of the seven command- David Novak's demurral would be a welcome ad- ments of the Noahides provided the specific dition to the growing discussion on the subject, means for non-Jewish salvation. (For the dating, were the essence of his argument, whatever its see my "The Origin of the Noahide Laws" in the intrinsic merits, not marred by a style of writing Kelman festschrift.) A return to the earlier theology conveying to the reader that despite his stated would in effect deny the efficacy of the Noahide intent, the author's purpose is less the presen- laws which are now halachically constituted. tation of a definitive position on the controversial Such a return to the earlier theology is just as matter of proselytes than a barely veiled attack impossible for Liberal Jews — questions of the upon Reform Judaism and its leadership past and authority of Halachah aside — because this the- present. In fact, in the substantial discussion the ology totally denies universalism and, moreover, proposal has received, a number of people who emphasizes other-worldliness in a most literal are not Reform Jews have, in various ways, re- way. Both of these factors go against the whole sponded positively to it, namely Rabbis tendency of Liberal Judaism from its inception to Theodore Friedman and Harold Schulweis, and this very day. Dr. Trude Weiss-Rosmarin. Moment Magazine has 155 a symposium entitled "Should Jews Proselytize" of the 19 th century liberal Jewish thinkers. Hence and includes comments by two of Novak's Con- we are told that individuals "even of the caliber of servative rabbinical colleagues, Wolfe Kelman Hermann Cohen and Leo Baeck" regarded prose- and Harold Schulweis. As a matter of fact, with lytizing as important. Though he readily admits the exception of David Polish, the distinguished the historicity of successful Jewish proselytizing Reform rabbi of Evanston, Illinois, who,by the efforts during the Hellenistic period, Baeck and way, is opposed to engaging in proselytizing and Cohen are suspect, since their goal is not the disagrees with Schindler, all of the others are preservation of the Jewish people but rather the outside of the Reform camp. Theodore Friedman "joint Jewish and Christian transcendence of is a past president of The Rabbinical Assembly religious particularisms." and a former editor of Judaism. Polish is joined in Their theologies are then linked to the ultimate his opposition to the idea only by Wolfe Kelman. shiddach between William Ellery Channing's Friedman, Rosmarin and Schulweis welcome it as Unitarianism and Felix Adler's espousal of Ethical long overdue. Novak might also examine the Culture. And since Felix Adler was the son of a recently published study by The American Jewish Reform rabbi and himself ordained .. well, the Committee prepared by Egon Mayer and Carl reader can of course deduce the rest. Again pre- Sheingold, "Intermarriage And The Jewish Future" senting no proofs other than his own biases and as well as the Brandeis University Doctoral dis- remarkable clairvoyance, Novak characterizes sertation of Steven Huberman, "New Jews, The Channing's supporters as "mostly idealists" while Dynamics of Religious Conversion" a summary Adler and his followers are dismissed as "disen- digest of which will shortly be published by the chanted, opportunistic assimilationists." Union Of American Hebrew Congregations. A reading of these documents would do much to correct Novak's sociological assumptions regard- The Substance is also Faulty ing converts and conversion which as we shall see But before returning to Baeck and Cohen, let us he offers with no supportable data. examine the crux of Novak's argument. It is that the seeking of proselytes should be contingent Why the continual small digs? upon whether to do so is good for the Jews and whether it is an authentically Jewish activity. As Novak's overriding need to malign Reform is previously mentioned he concedes that Jews pro- exemplified by his portrayal of Alexander selytized freely during the Graeco-Roman period Schindler. He states that Schindler's call for out- and that the rabbinic tradition recognized that reach to the "unchurched" is in reality a ploy to gerim, proselytes, were often enthusiastic, com- avoid Christian evangelical retaliation and is so mitted Jews who served as exemplary models for couched to allay Jewish apprehensions over tam- native born members of the community. Yet pering with the religious sensibilities of a near the end of his article we are informed that Christian majority. He thus refuses to acknowledge such a project today would not be good for Jews that Schindler may have actually meant what he since the number of persons who would be at- said, and leaves the impression that the proposal tracted to Judaism would be too small to apprec- was made in a vacuum rather than as part of a iably increase the Jewish population since only suggested comprehensive program addressing fundamentalist Christianity has been successful the needs of the American Jewish community jn in attracting converts. Furthermore, those who the decades to come. would convert would be "largely religious dil- Nor is he altogether certain about Schindler's ettantes." commitment to the continuity of the Jewish tra- dition. How else to account for this ever so These are sweeping generalizations unsupported subtle indictment as he damns with faint praise: as usual by any evidence other than Novak's sin- "I think it is safe to assume that with the excep- cere belief in their validity. In fact they run coun- tion of the extreme left wing of the Reform ter to the findings of both the Huberman and movement led by Professor Alvin Reines and his Mayer-Sheingold studies which indicate that not students ... a type of Judaism, I ASSUME [my only are gerim often more observant than native capitalization] is not espoused by the rather tra- born Jews, but that many left their Christian ditional Reform Rabbi Schindler..." origins precisely because of the fundamentalist, authoritarian quality of their religious back- His motives are far more transparent when he ground. Given Novak's general stance, one can- presents his version of the theological positions not help but suspect that his certainty about the m apathetic response to Reform Jewish efforts to religion of the Roman world and Jews were for- proselytize, not to speak of the alleged lack of bidden to proselytize? The exigencies of day to integrity of those who might choose to become day survival and the needs of a frightened, belea- Jewish, is based upon his equation of the diluted guered people were far more compelling argu- content of liberal Christianity with what from his ments against it than excursions into the theo- perspective is the similar emptiness of Reform logical! Judaism.
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