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 r 0•11111100 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 • •T ri;BrI T • ••• nearer peace will come." He also said that they had no reason to think the United States had n':? 117;:r rrite changed its friendly relation- ship with Israel. a7n1 ,nite4srl Hirpt? n:',7 ritgrr rItrjr) 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 '71.7 Inpt? ri:'?44x ,r44 IDPttr:g tr TV* Israel, even if they succeed from time to time in converting ,m;.714r:In 17tt; • riltprirr 1.?77rin nppri -rr4 r4'7it.p 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 "N4.7.17. - bw 1 7PP4 riAri It; •rr.lrig TIVF, 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 witirrrl niLpt? ,-R4:17.v."4" Mt .7 17 .4 that a majority of Russian Jews would come to Israel if ri4s7 trtgpnp rirrlz?Ir.)4 •'11'.71).n= 1/r! they were permitted to leave z7tg r),7'7ivraj rirrin'ap - r 2n'? Russia. At a farewell dinner to Nor- .nprikt r3,41t7r: rr,ryr wegian Premier Einar Gerhard- sen, at Oslo, the two Premiers c7.71 rq'; exchanged pledges of continued 7#2 ,r)14P - ririP , r3"1r!r1 friendship. The Norwegian Pre- nrr.74 ;1?174rT '717 trp,4p1 tr.r li N. 7111:1 7tt! mier said the Israeli's visit "has contributed to making the ,'7 K`14,' .nt:? 11.7; 7 young State of Israel more of a n.FW? trVI17. 71 living fact for the Norwegian tr-)Vnl loPr.);7i people." The visiting Prime 7 Minister, in his reply, referred "1 1 rI7P'? Ptr- 112:? tJ7 ?1 to Norwegian pioneering in .1"'34"' ."197. •L'Pntr. that country's arid north, and compared it to similar pioneer- tor117 np4n m71 — 1,7Ari 1217 17'174'?, ,npoi? 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 tvnnn nnt)Tri ,nislzi 22 - 4 could also be "a source of in- spiration and encouragement to trr7p'zili rrIN) roI? ra”'iry the newly developing countries." ri , n=rri ntr rPH nt ?4 " t7tg • riptex1;7. • rrp'Tivrj .it.t r t? 184. nr!