Book Review: Jewish Missions in the Shadow of the Holocaust

Dr. Mitch Glaser’s Jewish Missions in the Shadow of the Holocaust (Kregel, 2026) tackles a task that, taken at face value, would seem impossible—namely, to survey and analyze the history of missions to the Jewish people in continental Europe by Protestant missionaries during the first half of the twentieth century. In four hundred pages, Dr. Glaser attempts an overview and analysis of the historical context and character of Jewish communities in no fewer than fourteen countries in Eastern and Western Europe during an epoch that encompasses two world wars, the rise of Communism, Nazism, Zionism, and a host of other political and social developments that had a profound impact on Jewish life in its various settings.

Given the scope of his subject, he succeeds to a remarkable degree, due to a number of factors. For one, the book is extremely well organized. By wisely dividing the work into two parts—Eastern and Western Europe—the author is able to distinguish and deal with the vast differences between Eastern and Western European Jewry. Dr. Glaser examines each country through multiple lenses and provides a pattern of contexts that takes the form of a series of concentric circles, helping the reader make sense of the story being told. He offers an overview of the political and social conditions of each setting, the situation of the Jewish communities therein, and the character, strategy, and sometimes mixed results of the missionary activity under examination.

For the purpose of creating a more comprehensible picture, Dr. Glaser divides the fifty-year period he examines into three subsets: the period prior to World War I, during which a widespread migratory shift of the Jewish people was underway and missions to the Jews flourished; the interwar period, as missions recovered from the destruction of World War I and entered a period of resurgence; and finally, World War II and the immediate postwar period.

Another valuable asset Dr. Glaser brings to the table is what can only be described as an encyclopedic grasp of the source material with which he grapples. His command of both primary and secondary sources is impressive, as he presents archival material relevant to missions to the Jews in Europe, including the minutes and other records of numerous mission organizations. In addition to this, Dr. Glaser draws on his five decades of involvement in Jewish missions to bring a vast and personal understanding to his subject matter.

He also includes numerous reports of success stories from missionaries in the field. Dr. Glaser cautions the reader neither to accept all such accounts at face value, nor to cynically dismiss them out of hand.

Some reports illuminate the various crosswinds that missionaries to the Jews encountered as they sought to fulfill their calling, as well as the encouragements they experienced along the way. One such account comes from missionary George Friedman, who served in Kishinev and wrote in 1911, less than a decade after the horrific pogrom carried out in that city had captured widespread attention, particularly in the United States:

Although I have not received permission to publicly preach the gospel to the Jews here, like the late brother Rabinowitz years ago, nevertheless, I am permitted to speak undisturbedly to the Jews whenever I meet them. The Lord has opened to me many Jewish homes where I go and preach the gospel. There has been some opposition, but the local Christians are encouraging, and a local pastor has given into my hands the spiritual leadership of the YMCA.

As Dr. Glaser points out, there was a marked contrast between Eastern and Western Jewish culture, which called for differing evangelistic approaches. Giving particular attention to Germany, he notes that gospel outreach through vocational training and medical assistance—approaches that had created fruitful inroads with Eastern European Jews—were not particularly effective with the educated, sophisticated, and assimilated German Jewish population. In this reviewer’s perspective, the far higher rate of intermarriage may have done more than anything else to bring German-Jewish spouses into at least a nominal identification with Christianity.

In summing up this ultimately catastrophic chapter in Jewish life, Dr. Glaser writes:

We noted that missions to the Jews flourished during the first third of the twentieth century and then declined because of the impact of the Holocaust. Yet, up until the rise of National Socialism, the missions to the Jews were as fruitful in Germany as they were in Eastern Europe, especially during the post–World War I period. The greater fruit, however, was harvested among the Eastern European immigrants who were flooding into Germany. Unfortunately, this great and extensive work was absolutely destroyed by World War II and the Holocaust.

Much more could be said on behalf of this well-researched, lucid exploration of a history whose threads, until now, have never been woven together into so cogent a fabric—one that will stand the test of time.