THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS — Friday, September 7, 196Z -- 32
British Court of Appeals Dismisses Jail School Administrators are Split
Sentence Against Neo-Nazi Party Leader on Supreme Court Prayer Ban
(Direct JTA Teletype Wire
to The Jewish News)
LONDON.—An appeals court
dismissed a two-month prison
term imposed on British Na-
tional Socialist Party leader
Colin Jordan for "insulting be-
havior" during a riotous meet-
ing of the party at London's
Trafalgar Square last July 1.
A parallel appeal by party
secretary John Tyndall was re-
jected but his six week jail sen-
tence was quashed and a ten
pound ($28) fine was levied in-
stead.
R. E. Seaton, who presided,
said "We have considered Jor-
dan's speech with very great
care. It was very near the bor-
derline but in our view it just
failed to step over the edge."
He added that it was "a great
pity there is no power to bar
meetings of this sort" and ex-
pressed the hope something
would be done about it.
Jordan said he was "very
pleased" with the outcome and
added "I must admit I did not
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expect it." Declaring he would
continue to make speeches, he
said the appeals verdict "con-
firmed the conviction that
free speech is still allowed in
Britain."
Jordan earlier had appealed
to the British Education Minis-
try against his dismissal from
his teaching post in a Coventry
secondary school.
The Coventry Education Com-
mission suspended Jordan after
the July 1 rally. In a letter to
the Education Ministry, the neo-
Nazi said the Commission had
refused to give any reason for
the dismissal or to acquaint him
with any charges.
Asserting that the procedure
was not "a right or fair process
of dismissal, he said "it could
only be a case of gross political
prejudice against me because of
my out-of-school political opin-
ions."
Finns Favor Israeli-Arab Talks;
B-G Plans Defense Against Rockets
HELSINKI (JTA) — Prime
Minister Ahti Karjalainen said,
after a half-hour talk with visit-
ing Israeli Prime Minister
David Ben-Gurion, that Fin-
land's stand in favor of direct
Israel-Arab peace talks remain-
ed firm.
It was indicated that, if the
proposal came up at the next
United Nations General Assem-
■ 11. ■ 43iO41•1111,04 ■ 41 ■ 041 ■ 04•1111.4=1 ■ 0411M041111111.M10 .4■ . 41111 .1.■041•11 . 4•1111.0.4M1. 111•111.011
Boris Smolar's
'Between You
... and Me'
Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)
(Copyright, 1962,
The Prayer Issue
With the reopening of the public schools, tension over the
ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court outlawing the New York
Regents' Prayer from public schools will mount . . Jewish or-
ganizations interested in promoting interfaith friendship—but at
the same time insisting on the separation of church and state in
the spirit of the U.S. Constitution—are evaluating the situation.
. . There is no doubt that in some communities attempts will
be made to recite the Lord's Prayer in the schools as part of the
daily opening exercise . . . However, it is difficult to see how the
Lord's Prayer can continue as part of an official program in
the schools under the constitutional principles enunciated by the
Supreme Court in the Regents' Prayer case . . . The Regents'
Prayer is the most inoffensive, most non-denominational, most
innocuous religious practice imaginable . .. If its recitation in
the public school is unconstitutional, there is no logical way of
upholding the recitation of the Lord's Prayer which comes from
the religious teachings of one particular faith. • . Thus, friction
over the prayer issue—which did not reach a high point because
the public schools closed for the summer a week after the Su-
preme Court issued its ruling — will now develop sharply in
every community • . . Important is the fact that the constitu-
tional principles enunciated by the Supreme Court would seem
to outlaw also Bible reading and other religious exercises from
the public schools . . . Three cases concerning these issues are
on their way to the Supreme Court for decision during its next
term , . These are, the Pennsylvania case, the Maryland Bible
case, and the Florida religion in the school case. . . . Already,
within several weeks following the Supreme Court ruling, 43
proposed constitutional amendments have been introduced in the
House of Representatives . . . In the Senate, four such amend-
ments have been introduced, co-sponsored by 22 Senators .. .
Although passage of a constitutional amendment in the present
session of Congress is not likely, hearings may be held in the
Senate Judiciary Committee . . . Outstanding liberals in the
Senate and House, with the exception of Jewish representatives,
have so far been silent on the prayer ruling, but many Protestant
liberal clergymen have spoken out in favor of the Supreme
Court's decision . . . However, the Catholics and the Evangelists
have reacted violently and implied that the Jewish organizations
are to be blamed for the Supreme Court ban on the prayer
recitation.
Behind The Scenes
Remember the criticism voiced by American Jewish organi-
zations recently against Adlai Stevenson for opposing at the
United Nations General Assembly a proposal for direct Arab-
Israel peace talks? . . . Be prepared that the same proposal will
be made again at the UN Assembly session which opens this
month and that Ambassador Stevenson, as head of the American
delegation to the UN, will again speak against it . • . The State
Department is already busy behind the scenes in pressuring
certain countries to vote against this proposal, while Israel is
similarly busy seeking to win the same countries to support the
proposal . . . Both sides are especially trying to exert influence
on France, which is a member of the UN Palestine Conciliation
Commission ... France is not inclined to accept neither Wash-
ington's nor Israel's views and may abstain from voting on this
issue _ . On the other hand France is determined to go with
Israel in opposing an American-supported proposal favoring a
UN-supervised referendum among the Arab refugees to deter-
mine which of them wish to be repatriated to Israel and which
would agree to take compensation instead . . . This proposal,
now in preparation, will be brought to the United Nations by
Dr. Joseph E. Johnson, special emissary of the Palestine Con-
ciliation Commission, who has visited Israel and the Arab coun-
tries trying to mediate the Arab refugee issue . . . Washington's
attitude is that as long as the Arab refugee problem is not
moving toward a solution, it would be premature to encourage
direct Arab-Israel peace talks . . . This, of course, is not the
opinion of American Jewish organizations interested in seeing
an Arab-Israel peace reached or of the Israel government which
has always sought direct negotiations with the Arab states.
NEW YORK, (JTA) — More
than half of the school adminis-
trators in the United States were
reported disapproving of the
United States Supreme Court's
decision of June 25 banning the
New York State Regents Prayer
from public schools in the state.
The poll of 16,000 administra-
tors was made by the Nation's
Schools, a monthly educational
journal, which also found that
many of the 46 per cent report-
ing themselves In agreement with
the ruling expressed the belief
that the decision applied only to
mandated prayers, not to prayers
in general nor to Bible-reading.
That point of view was the core
of a ruling by Corporation Coun-
sel Chester Gray of Washington,
D.C., which will permit the
Board of Education in the na-
tion's capital to act against the
spirit of the June 25 decision.
The school administrators were
evenly divided on proposals by
congressmen to introduce a con-
stitutional amendment which
would permit the recitation of
prayers in public schools, 48 per
cent being opposed and 46 per
cent being in favor. Many of the
administrators expressed "much
concern" that Christmas exer-
cises might eventually be banned
in public schools.
The Washington corporation
counsel ruling cleared the way
for the public schools to reopen
with their regular procedure, fol-
lowing the Washington school
code which provides that opening
exercises shall include a salute
to the flag, a reading from the
Bible, "without note or com-
ment," and the Lord's Prayer.
Gray's opinion that the June
25 ruling did not bar school
prayers but only the compulsory
reading or saying of a prayer
"officially" drafted by govern-
ment officials was seen as prob-
ably providing a precedent for
other school boards throughout
the United States.
Another development in the
continuing impact of the Su-
preme Court decision was a
statement by Dr. Ben Mohn Herb-
ster, president of the United
Church of Christ, scoring an edi-
torial in the Jesuit magazine,
America, which critized Ameri-
can Jewry for its backing of the
June 25 ruling.
He said that no minority group
"ought to be coerced into striking,
any bargain to secure rights guar-
anteed under the constitution"
and that Christian groups should
not allow any effort made by a
minority group to secure guar-
anteed freedoms by "acceptable
legal procedures" to become "a
point of conflict separating Chris-
tians from their brothers."
He warned American Catholics
that "no church ought to be so
irked by being deprived of an
immediate advantage that it sets
itself against a principle which
in the long run might be used to
deprive that same church of its
long-term freedom guaranteed by
the constitution." He added that
the United Church of Christ "can
be depended upon to stand
against anti-Semitism and for
brotherhood."
bly session, Finland would vote
for it as it did at the UN As-
sembly last year. The Finnish
Prime Minister told a press
conference that "it is our reg-
ular policy to support proposals
of peaceful negotiations and to
try to prevent violence. There
is no change in this policy."
Hebrew Corner
Ben-Gurion, who arrived at
Helsinki on his five-nation
Torah VaAvoda
Scandinavian tour, lunched
at President Kekonnen's
in All Continents
home after a friendly talk,
and was guest of honor at an
of the World
official dinner given by the
Finnish government. The
At first it was difficult to find
what the scores of boys and girls
Prime Minister had begun his
that gathered in the auditorium of
month-long tour with visits to
the "Mikve Israel" agricultural
school had in common. They looked
Sweden and Norway.
different from one another and
everyone spoke another language.
Before his departure from
Now the talking ceased, they rose
Oslo Saturday nigh t, Ben-
and sang: "With strength at heart,
up, forward `Bnei Akiva'. Hurrah
Gurion hinted that Israel was
with the help of G'd, we will go
making plans to deal with
upward." Now they were identified,
they are members of the religious
Egypt's new rocket capability.
Halutz youth movement "Bnei
Recalling the remark attributed
Akiva," they represent the many
branches of the movement in all
to President Nasser to the ef-
parts of the world.
fect that Egyptian missiles
They gathered in Israel to attend
the First World Conference of "Bnei
could reach any point in Israel,
Akiva." They came here to tell and
Ben-Gurion told the heavily-
hear about what is going on in
the various branches of "Torah
attended press conference that
VaAvoda" in 22 countries spread
"this makes our situation seri-
over five continents, some of the
branches are in far off places.
ous." He added: "We hope we
The representatives from England
can do something to balance the
told about the movement's training
farm
near London, there the youth
situation and we will make every
also receive spiritual guidance. The
effort to prevent war." When
"Bnei Akiva" leaders from Italy,
Austria and Scandinavia told about
asked just how Israel planned
their activities against assimilation
to offset the Egyptian rockets,
in their respective countries. All
of them seek advice and guidance
the Prime Minister replied "I
from the secretaria of their organ-
have certain things in mind."
ization.
The members from abroad learn
He declined to elaborate.
about the life in Israel, devote some
He expressed disagreement
of their time to study of the Torah
and prepare themselves towards
with the viewpoint that an ex-
settling in Israel. The Hebrew lan-
tension of Arab disunity, such
guage that they learn serves them
as that manifested in the recent
as a living bridge with the JeWs
in
Israel.
clash at the Arab League Coun-
Translation of Hebrew Column.
cil in Lebanon, would aid Mid-
Published by
Brith Ivrith Olamith, Jerusalem
dle East peace, asserting that
"the more they are united, the
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nearer peace will come." He
also said that they had no reason
to think the United States had
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changed its friendly relation-
ship with Israel.
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Answering a question about
Christian missionaries in Israel,
ninfp nr)ix'? rir;Ippri 11 , ;
he said: "We will not interfere
with the missionaries' work in
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Israel, even if they succeed
from time to time in converting
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some Jewish children. Israel is
a free country with freedom of 1 2i72,p n tv 411#, 1, 2? rat.q 1 x`14 nil •"%nrIte."71:1P.IP"4
religion."
ar4rni
"Tr i Ri
,rolp ri! w4i7,
Concerning the Soviet
Union, the Prime Minister
told the correspondents that
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Israel wanted to be friendly
trpp,
with all nations "irrespective —
of their regimes, but the - inrIror -p4 nri. 1 1,T 2p
rIpp ;1'7;7 .
USSR is not too friendly to
us." He expressed the opinion
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that a majority of Russian
Jews would come to Israel if
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they were permitted to leave
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Russia.
At a farewell dinner to Nor-
.nprikt
r3,41t7r: rr,ryr
wegian Premier Einar Gerhard-
sen, at Oslo, the two Premiers
c7.71
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exchanged pledges of continued 7#2 ,r)14P - ririP , r3"1r!r1
friendship. The Norwegian Pre- nrr.74 ;1?174rT '717
trp,4p1
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mier said the Israeli's visit "has
contributed to making the
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young State of Israel more of a n.FW? trVI17. 71
living fact for the Norwegian
tr-)Vnl
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people." The visiting Prime
7
Minister, in his reply, referred "1 1 rI7P'?
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to Norwegian pioneering in
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that country's arid north, and
compared it to similar pioneer- tor117 np4n
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ing in Israel's Negev. He said
such pioneering, particularly by nyrn nS7ii 1:1. 7 "11 itr4 Irrinsn rnirr bonitp
Norway, "can serve as an
example to all nations," and
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could also be "a source of in-
spiration and encouragement to
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the newly developing countries."
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