Christian converts from Judaism -- Biography; Missions to Jews
Aleksyeyev, Aleksander (called Wolf Nachlass), born in 1820, at
Nazarevietz, government of Podolsk, of poor Jewish parents. At the age
of ten he was impressed into military service by the press-gang
(poimshchiki) of Nicolas I., and sent away to the distant city of
Volsks, government of Saratov. It was the political and missionary
policy of Nicolas I. to take young boys from their parents and to train
them in military schools, so that after they had completed their service
of twenty-five years, they might return home and act as missionaries to
their parents. Aleksyeyev for a long time resisted Christian teaching,
and the officials considered him a most stubborn subject. However, about
1845, he changed his views entirely, and not only became a member of the
Orthodox Russian Church, but managed to convert about five hundred
Jewish Cantonists, for which he was promoted in 1848 to the rank of a
non-commissioned officer, and was honoured by the Emperor's thanks.
About 1855, Aleksander was so unfortunate as to lose the use of his
legs. He then settled in Novogorod, and during his long illness wrote
the following works on ethnographic and missionary topics:--English
titles: 1. "The Triumph of Christian Teaching over the Talmudic
Teaching, or a Soul-saving Conversation of a Christian and a Jew on the
Coming of the Messiah" (St. Petersburg, 1859); 2. "Religious Service,
Holy Day and Religious Rites of the Jews To-day" (Novogorod, 1861); 3.
"The Public Life of the Jews, their Habits, Customs and Prejudices"
(_ib._ 1868); 4. "Colloquies of an Orthodox Christian with a
Newly-Converted Jew" (St. Petersburg, 1872); 5. "A Former Jew for
Monastries and Monasticism" (Novogorod, 1875); 6. "The Conversion to
Christianity of an Observer of the Jewish Law" (_ib._ 1882); 7. "Do the
Jews use Christian Blood?" (_ib._ 1886), and several others. His works
are interesting, as he was the first Jew in Russia to give a description
of the life and customs of his Jewish brethren. He refuted the absurd
and criminal blood accusation.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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