Wise Unwise?

Throughout the land headlines blared RABBI WISE SAYS JEWS SHOULD ACCEPT JESUS. As the implication of those words sank in, Jews became excited and commenced to flay famed Manhattan Rabbi Stephen S. Wise right and left. The Agudath Harabonim* issued an edict against him. Rabbi Louis Ginzberg, professor of the Talmud at the New York Jewish Theological Seminary, declared: "Rabbi Wise does not represent the beliefs of a majority of Jews."

At length someone troubled to discover that Rabbi Wise had actually only said that modern Jewry must accept Jesus as a great Jewish teacher and indorse His ethical code. Later the Rabbi explained, that he had used the words "accept Jesus" in the sense of "accept Jesus as a man and a Jew." He said: "There is no question of embracing Christianity save by Christians.

Further it appeared that all Rabbi Wise had been driving at was the expression of his enthusiasm for a book Jesus of Nazareth, written at Jerusalem and in Hebrew by a Dr. Joseph Klaussner, who set forth the Nazarene simply as a great Jew and not as the Christ.

Before the soothing explanations were heard, however, Rabbi Wise felt obliged to hand in his resignation as Chairman of the $5,000,000 United Palestine Fund. Promptly famed Manhattan Jewish merchant Nathan Straus ("best loved U. S. Jew") made a further contribution of $150,000 to the fund, and flayed anyone and everyone who aspersed his friend Rabbi Wise. Later Mr. Straus predicted that the Rabbi's resignation would not be accepted.

* Union of Orthodox Rabbis.