Document text
Forms to be Filled out for Each Interview
FORM A
Circumstances of Interview
STATE New York
NAME OF WORKER Fr ank Byrd
ADDRESS 224 W. 135th St.
DATE 5/25/39
SUBJECT Folklore
1. Date and time of interview
FOLKLORE
NEW YOhK
'JUN 19
5/21/22/23
2. Place of interview
Father Divines Extension Kingdom, 123rd St. and Lenox Ave.
3. Name and address of informant
Jewish Conciliation Court of ifgfPgt.jan iggx Ave.
4. Name and address of person, if any, who put you in
touch with informant.
5. Name and address of person, if any, accompanying you
6. Description of room, house, surroundings, etc.
Large apt. -office bldg. housing meeting and living
rooms of Eather Divine's
(Use as many additional sheets as necessary, for any of the forms,
each bearing the proper headinL and the number to which the material
refers.)
FORM C
Text of Interview (Unedited)
STATE New York
NAME OF WORKER Fronk Byrd
ADDRESS 224 W. 135th St.
DATE 5/25/39
SUBJECT Folklore
FATHER DIVINE AND HIS FOLLOWERS
FOLKLORE
NEW YORK
Father Divine on0e_said: "Rmancipation is now
open to those called dews, by their accepting xy message
with the spirit of sincerity, forgetting their Mamie lineage
and recognizing the Christ consciousness as the Redeemer
and Savior. The persecuted and cbwntrodden Jews in this,
as in the old era, are crying out in anguish for their Savior.
I am the answer to that cry and prayer, offering them complete
emancipation, if they will but hear my voice and obey."
Not long after this public invitation, many persons
of Jewish faith joined the Divine Movement. "Truly Wondertul",
the following treatise, is a story of one of these religious
converts.
"Truly Won4erful"
No one would have objected, apparently, had She
only attended one of PeitheT Divine is meetings 00 evanwitied
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her highest intuition", as the squat, diminutive little
Negro evangelist and spiritual cult leader advised her to do.
Publicly forsaking and denying the Jewish faith, however,
was a horse of 'another Color; at least, that was the
opinion of certain leaders of the Hebrew Benevolent Society
of which plump, reTdheaded Mrs. Sadie Bergenfeld (afterwards
known as Thankful Purity) was a full fledged member. The
society, in fact, felt so strongly about this matter that
they called a meeting before the Jewish Conciliation Court
of America for the sole purpose of giving the good lady the
legal boot. In other words, they wanted to dispel her from their
strictly orthodox society and deprive her of her rightfUl-fin-
ancial Denefits that were due her after twenty years of
monthly dues -paying. But Thankful Purity (nee' Bergenfeld)
was not the type to give up without a fight, so she took the
witness stand to testify veheminently in her awn behalf; her
amber -green eyes flashing an indignant fire.
"Peaoei" she began, with a decided Bronx accent.
"It's wonderful"
The three presiding judges were a little non-
pulssed by this strange proceedure but bravely tried to carry on.
"Is it true that you belong to Father Divine's
heaven t0 one of them asked.
"Belong?" Thankful Purity asked, puzzled. "'What
means belong?"
"Are you one ef Father Divine's followers?" the
judge amended.
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"I follow the best." was the answer he got.
"Father Divine is wonderful. I like him. Peace!"
"How did you became an 'angel'?" another judge wanted
to know.
"It happened two years ago," the witness explained
eagerly. "I was feeling very, very bad. I saw hundreds of
doctors and they all told ma I must have an operation, but
they refused to guarantee that I would get well. So one day
I was sick inaben when a colored girl cane in to clean my
house. I told her I was sick and she said I should go to
see Father ODivine.
"I got uk and went right away to one of his meeting
rooms, and then I heard him speak. He was wonderful. He
spoke of things I never heard of before; th4ngs I couldn't
understand. I alsked one of the women how I could speak to
Father Divine and she told me to walk right up to him and
say 'Peace"
"When the meeting was over, I sushed up to the
platform, grabbed Father Divine's hand and cried: 'Peace'l
I asked him whqt I must do to cure myself."
"What did he say?"
"He said: 'use your highest intuitions"
"Did you?"
"I don't know. All I remember is that I went home
and fell asleep. When I awoke in the morning, I was feeling
fine. Since that day I have never been sick. Now I am sure
Father Divine is God."
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"But," one of the judges protested, "This organ-
ization has a legal right to expel you. Their constitution
says they can ,expel any mamIttir who leaves the Jewish faith.
That is what you have done."
have not left the iewish faith!"
Thankful Purity was very indignant in her denial
"I am now more of a Jew than the rest of you. I
can shake hands with the whole world. I am not prejudiced.
,I,love everyone. That is peace...heaven on earth. Don't you
believe in peace"
"Don't you think it would cause peace", judge
number two inquired, "if you resigned from the society?"
"I want peace. The lodge doesn't want peace. Why
should they take away all my benefits for which my husband
paid for?"
"But you have violated the constitution by
worshipping a different God."
"I am not worshipping a different Gods" Thankful
Purity shouted. "There is only one God, Father Divine. You
don't know who God is. You don't know Father Divine."
Well, what do you suggest that we do?" the Court
finally asked.
After thinking it over for awhile Thankful Purity
said: "I want peace. I'll give up everything. I don't want any-
thing they were supposed to give me. They can have it. I don't
bleed anything. I've got heaven right here."
Without handing down any formal .decision, the Court
assuied the society that Thankful Purity (that is, Sirs. Bergenfeld)
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would resign from the organization.
Thankful Purity, rising and walking from the room
with aloof spiritual dignity and wearing an expression of
glowing beatitude, stopped at the door and shouted a last-
minute invitation in the direction of the judges' bench.
"Gentlemen," she said, "I wish you would come
to our meetings. You would learn something. Peace!
It's truly wonderful!"