Page Fifty-three
THE JEWISH NEWS
Friday, September 20, .1944
Religion and The Public Schools
New Appraisal, Defifiite
Policy Urged by Educ,a4or
Br DZ. A. DVSHtIN
(Prssw Editorial in Jewish ltdaeatieSt lifilstrawkae)
the Protestant groups were taught,
that children of some 31 sects, in-
cluding Catholic, Jbwish and Prot-
estant, took these courses; that
the Catholic church conducted
classes under the system; but the
record shows that while formerly
Jewish classes were held under the
supervision of the Jewish Church,
no classes have been held by the
Jewish faith for the last couple
of years."
Apathetic to Problem
What is true in Champaign is
true throughout the country. By
and large Jews do not take ser-
iously to the Released Time op-
portunity. They neither oppose nor
uphold. They attempt rather to
solve the problem by polite but
vapid agreement.
We urge that the lay and pro-
fessional lea.ership in Jewish
education adopt a more definite
policy in relating our work to
what is apparently a growing fact
in American :ucation. This fact
is of enormous importance to us,
both in its negative and in its pos-
itive implications. Much is at
stake. Negatively we know that
we shall be the worst sufferers if
this movement for religion in the
public schools exceeds its proper
democratic bounds. As a living
reminder, we have before us the
plight of some of our fellow Jews
in Canada. There in the Catholic-
Protestant school system of the
Quebec province, Jewish children
are unwanted guests in the Prot-
estant schools; and in the com-
mon public school system of Tor-
onto, the protests of Jews against
In January of this year the Cir- mission in so many of our public
cuit Court of Champaign' County, schools today."
These and other similar deci-
Illinois, handed! down decision
sions would „indicate that the Re-
whicih may have considerable im- leased Time law, in its various ap-
port for the development of re- plications, has been repeatedly in-
ligious education in America. Not terpreted as in accord with the
only did it uphold the Released American tradition.
Time law whereby public school
Demands Increasing
authorities release their pupils to
During our own generation
parents who desire to give their there has been continuously in-
children religious instruction dur- creasing pressure to connect the
ing school hours; it also declared public schools with religious edu-
that local legislatures may assign cation. NeW plans are being urged,
public school rooms and facilities particularly by Protestant groups,
during public school hours to re- to make this connection closer,
ligious teachers for sectarian re- by extending further the use of
ligious instruction, provided only public school time and facilities
that such right is extended to all to the churches for sectarian
religious groups in the commun- teaching, or else by including the
ity. In Champaign there is an teaching of what is called "gen-
Interfaith Council of Religious eral religion" within the public
Education which arranges that school curriculum itself. Much as
thirty minutes once each week be we may dislike some of these
set aside during any hour between plans, our influence as a small
9:00 a. m. and 4:00 p. m.. for re- minority will probably not affect
ligious instruction inside the pub- the situation seriously; unless they
lic schools. If the majority of the are clearly in conflict with con-
pupils in a particular class elect stitutional rights. Their fate will
religious instruction, at the re- probably be determined much
quest of their parents, then the more by the position of the larger
secular teacher turns the class- Catholic minority in this country.
room over to the religious teacher At any rate, whatever the future
and herself takes the remainder may bring, it is clear that the Re-
of the class for a study period in leased Time law is here to stay;
some other available room; if the and that to its many present
minority elects religious instruc- forms, new adaptations and new
tion, then the religious teacher is forms will be added locally
assigned to some other room. The throughout the United States.
cost of teaching and administra-
2. The Jewish attitude, by and
tion of such religious instruction large, is to-ignore the situation; or
is borne by he Council of Relig- else to pursue the policy of kab-
ious Education.
dehu ve-hashdehu—"respect it and
In American Tradition"
suspect it." There is a certain
Two series of facts in this case amount of polite interfaith
seem to be of special significance "agreement" in many localties,
to us as Jewish educators:
but no really serious effort any-
1. It would seem that the com- where to come to grips with the
plete "separation of State and problem. In Champaign, for ex-
1456 Broadway
Church" in American education is ample, "the proof shows that all
far from beinl so definite a real-
ity as most of us suppose. The
Court cited the wide extent of
religious education in connection
with public schools: "Approxi-
mately 1.850 school systems in 46
states of this country have some
form of religious education in
their school systems" ... In reply
to the plaintiff—a parent who
12th St., near Clairmount
calls herself a "rationalist atheist"
—the Court quoted numerous
To its many friends, business associates - and clientele . . . This
legal precedents and opinions in-
new and modern JANET'S extends its best wishes. May we
dicating that there is no opposi-
tion to public aid for religious ed-
continue to serve you in the years to come.
ucation, if it is done in the spirit
of the First Amendment to the
Constitution; namely without any
element of compulsion and with-
out expenditure of public funds
for it. American judges have de-
cided that: "No purpose of action
against religion can be imputed
to any American legislation; be-
cause this is a religious nation."
. . "The child is not the mere
creature of the State; those who
nurture him and direct his destiny
have the right, coupled with high
duty, to recognize and to prepare
him for additional obligations.''s
To All Our Friends
. . . "Religion and religious wor-
ship are not so far placed under
the ban of the Constitution that
TO. 8-0249
10236 DEXTER BLVD.
they may not be allowed to be-
come the recipients of incidental
benefits from public bodies or
1 111•111•11Mei
authorities of the State." . . .
"Courses in religious education are
We wish to extend best wishes to our many
similar to extra curricular activi-
ties such as music and art, which
friends
for a year of health and happiness.
are taken with the parents' per-
the open teaching of Christian
doctrine in the public schools go
unheeded. However, if democrati-
cally controlled and organized,
American public aid to religious
instruction has many positive im-
plications for us. We shall have
to make provision for Jewish chil-
dren on a plane equal to other
American children. The fact that
at present only a ridiculously small
period of time is devoted by pub-
lic schools to religious instruction
should not blind us to its psychic
importance for our children, when
they see their Protestant and
Catholic classmates solicitously
provided for and feel themselves
"left out in the cold." Nor should
we fail to recognize other possi-
bilities in the development of Re-
leased Time in the future.
Advisory Body Suggested
Because of the importance of
this problem we propose that a
standing Commission be appoint-
ed by the National Council and
the American Association for Jew-
ish Education to conduct a con-
tinuous study of experiences and
to advise cor—nunities how to uti-
lize the local situations to our
greatest good. We have already
had four years of experience in
New York City, where the Jewish
Education Committee first took
the step of cooperating with the
Released Time efforts of other
groups. This is not the occasion
for a report of Released Time in
New York. Suffice it to say that
our experiences "were not as bad
as we feared, nor as good as we
hoped."
In Rochester, in Pittsburgh, in
Boston and in other communities,
a body of facts and opinions re-
garding Jewish use of Released .
Time is available for continuous
study as a basis for future policy
and direction. The time has come
for a new appraisal and for more
definite policy. Others may and
should approach the e-oblem from
the standpoint of "public rela-
tions" or of broad "social doc-
trine." We should approach it
from within, as education. Can
we use it for the hood of our
children, and how?
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