British Civil Official
Two Jewish Groups File Brief in High Court School Case Appeal
HARRY ABRAM
On the subject of Christmas
observance in schools, long a
bone of contention within the
Jewish community, the Council
saw no objection so long as the
cultural aspects of the holiday
were stressed with no reference
to the religious overtones of
Christmas.
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DETROIT J EWISH NEWS — Friday, March 30, 1962
Two major human rights agen- court following decisions by the capital area Council of Churches
cies have charged that the • New New York state court's uphold- has said - that public schools
York State Board of Regents, ing the New Hyde Park Board should not require teachers or
by sponsoring prayer in public of Education.
students to participate in de-
de-
schools, was establishing a form
Provisions for the excuse of
of "public school religion."
pupils whose parents object to votional Bible reading or mass
In a brief submitted to the their participation in the prayer recitations.
U. S. Supreme Court, the agen- school sponsored prayer, the
Similarly, observance of re-
cies argued that the Regents' brief states, does not make the
ligious h o 1 i d a y s in public
prayer in public schools consti- practice any-leis an establish-
s c h o o 1 s , said the Council
tuted "an establishment of re- ment of religion. It adds:
"
,
should have clear educational
legion" and thus violated the
This clause (the establish- purposes and should not " dis-
First Amendment to the Con-
ment clause) of the First Amend- tract from the religious mean-
stitution.
any agency in the ing which some associate with
The brief was filed with the ment
state prohibits
from sponsoring religious that holiday."
Supreme Court by the American programs and it is of no moment
The Council positions were
Jewish Committee and the Anti- that all or some of the citizens
Defamation League of Bnai Brith participate in such pro gr ams. contained in a statement pre-
in a case involving the New Hyde Clearly, the holding of a mass pared by a special committee
Park public schools.
in a public school during the on r e 1 i g i o n in the public
The brief stresses that both regular day would violate the schools, named last January to
agencies include among their establishment clause even though study religion in public schools
membership "vast numbers of all non-Catholic pupils were per- following an appeal from the
people who not only believe in mitted or required to absent Washington Jewish Community
the existence of God, but de- themselves."
Council to discontinue all re-
•
voutly worship him." However,
ligious observances in Washing-
The
fact
is,
the
two
agencies
the agencies hold to the view
ton public schools.
that "prayer in our democratic s tate, that the program places
The Church Council said that
society is a matter for the the "stamp of approval" of the
home, synagogue and church, state on the religious ceremony. while "it is not the function of
and not for the public schools." Thus, non-participating children the public school to be a church
The New York Board of are inevitably set apart as non- or synagogue. or attempt to do
Regents, in a statement on conformists and subjected to so- the work of the church or syna-
moral and spiritual training in cial and psychological pressure gogue," it endorsed the idea
the schools, had recommended to modify their beliefs and con- that "objective treatment of re-
facts as an. integral part
that the daily Pledge of Al- duct." ligious
• • •
of the courses and curriculum"
legiance "might well be join-
WASHINGTON, (JTA)—The would be acceptable.
ed with this act of reverence
to God."
The act of reverence was in
the form of a prayer devised by
FOR THE BEST DEAL NOW AS ALWAYS .. .
the Board of Regents which
reads: "Almighty God, we ac-
YOU CAN BE SURE WHEN YOU DEAL WITH ...
knowledge our dependence upon
Thee and we beg Thy blessings
upon us. our parents. our teach-
on the NEW "62"
ers and our country."
In 1958. the New Hyde Park
Board of Education directed the
district principal to institute this
prayer as a daily procedure fol-
lowing the Pledge of Allegiance.
CORVAIR is CHEVY 11
A number of parents in that
school district brought suit
SHORE CHEVROLET CO.
against the Board of Education
12240 Jos. Campau
on the constitutionality of the
I'm As Neer
prayer in the school system. The
As Your Phone
TW 1-0600 — Res. LI 8-4119
case is now before the U. S. high
Sir Abraham Jeremy Rais-
man, a Jew who served in the
British civil service in India
during the Empire administra-
tion, rose to become finance
member of the British govern-
ment there until the Second
World War.