THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 6—Friday, October 21, 1966 South African Jews Hit Omission of 'Conscience Clause' at University JOHANNESBURG (JTA) — The South African Board of Jewish Deputies issued a statement crit- icizing the omission from a bill passed in new government legis- lation doing away with the "Con- science Clause" in the measure to establish a new Afrikaans univer- sity in Johannesburg. The "Conscience Clause" pro- hibits universities from inquiring into the religious beliefs of staff or students, or from giving or with- holding any preference to a staff member or student on the ground of religious belief. In the bill to establish the new Rand Afrikaans University, the "C on s c i en c e Clause" is replaced by a clause pro- viding that staff will be engaged, and students admitted, on the grounds of acat_2_emic and adminis- trative qualifications and abilities and subscription to the principles contained in the preamble to the South African Constitution which acknowledges belief and trust in God. Following representations by va- rious bodies, the Minister for Edu- cation, Arts and Science, Senator de Klerk, amended this by incor- porating the reference to the repub- lic's Constitution in the preamble to the bill, and recasting the rele- vant clause of the bill to provide that staff appointments shall be on the grounds of academic and ad- ministrative qualifications o n 1 y. The Minister said that freedom of belief was guaranteed by South African common law, and the MEDICAL SUITES In modern clinic in East Detroit with busy dentist. 3 operatories, lab. private and business offices, 2 lav- atories, dark room. Near shopping center. Proven growth area, PR 6-9800 or LI 5-9059 LAWN SPRINKLERS REPAIR AND INSTALLATION QUALITY WORK AT REASONABLE PRICES 527-5044 "Get Our Price Last" clause as refrained ruled out any possibility of religious discrimina- tion. "A rabbi, for example," he said, "could be appointed to lec- ture in Hebrew, because he was best qualified to do so." His as- surance was accepted by the main opposition party, the United Party, which v oted for the bill as amended. Only Mrs. Helen Suzman, the Progressive Party's solitary Member of Parliament, voted against it, because of the omission of the "Conscience Clause." The Board of Deputies statement, while welcoming the minister's as- surance, pointed out that "there have been conflicting legal opin- ions on the efficacy of the proposed amendment to protect religious freedom," and that "no convincing reasons have been given by the promoters of the new University as to why the customary Conscience Clause has been dropped." Gustav Saron, general secretary of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies, left on a four-month study mission to the United States, Europe and Israel. While abroad, Saron will interview applicants for senior posts on the staff of the Board of Deputies, and study work being carried on in various Jewish communities among youth and stu- dents and in the fields of inter- grouP relations, community plan- ning, fund raising and social re- search. Victims of Austria Nazism Form Unit to Press Claims NEW YORK (JTA) — The es- tablishment of an American Coun- cil for Equal Compensation of Nazi Victims from Austria, was an- nounced by Felix Harding, the first president of the new organiza- tion. The purpose of the new group is to achieve equal compensation for equal suffering comparable to the indemnification legislation of the Federal Republic of Germany. Harding said that the formation of the group resulted from dis- satisfaction with w h a t he de- scribed as "glaring inequities" in the treatment of Austrian victims of Nazism. (From Vienna, it was reported by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that the Jewish cemetery in the Austrian town of Gmunden was found desecrated for the second time this year. In the latest incident, the vandals smashed a memorial stone for victims mur- dered in Nazi concentration camps.) Day School Group Asks Repeal of NY Ban to Funds for Religious Schools (Direct JTA Teletype Wire to The Jewish News) NEW YORK—Tora Umesora, the national society for Hebrew day schools, has called for the repeal of the New York State con- stitutional prohibition on state financial aid to schools sponsored by religious groups. Testifying before the temporary commission on the constitutional convention, Herman Cahn, repre- senting the Hebrew day school group, said that the federal con- stitution is sturdy enough to pro- tect the principle of church-state separation and the state's restric- tive amendment is superfluous and unnecessarily restrictive. The temporary commission is conduct- ing hearings in preparation for the constitutional convention to be held by the state next spring. Asserting that it was important that pupils in religion-sponsored schools receive as good an educa- tion in non-religious subjects as do other children, Calm said that the restrictive amendment now in the constitution was discriminatory and relegated students in religious schools to the status of second- class citizenship. In a related development, re- plying to queries by the New York Civil Liberties Union on the positions of the various candi- dates for the New York state governorship, towards proposals to repeal the constitutional ban on aid to religious schools, Demo- cratic nominee Frank D. O'Con- nor indicated that he favored a less restrictive provision. He said he favored a constitu- tional guarantee of church-state separation but he said such a guarantee did not have to be any more restrictive than the first amendment to the Federal Consti- tution. Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr., the Liberal Party candidate, un- equivocally supported retention of the restrictive provision by the 1967 constitutional convention. Gov . Rockefeller did not reply to the question. In White Plains, meanwhile, Westchester County Democratic Chairman William F. Luddy an- nounced that his organization's platform called for the repeal of the restrictive constitutional amendment against state aid to religious schools. He said all nine party's candi- dates for delegates to the conven- tion from Westchester had de- clared their support for repeal of the amendment. Matthew Fontaine Maury, Pioneer Oceanographer The illustrations in this book An interesting biographical sketch for young readers is of- are by Joseph Cellini. fered by Janice J. Beaty in "Seeker of Seaways," published IF YOU TURN THE by Pantheon Books, a Random House Division. It is the life story of Matthew UPSIDE DOWN YOU WON'T Fontaine Maury, the pioneer FIND A FINER WINE THAN oceanographer, and life on and conquest of the seas in the 1880s is excellently depicted in the splendid narrative. It is a factual account and has added merit in Milan Wineries, Defroff, Mich, its oceanographic aspects. a • Saikaaaaa II a a a a XII 111 ENJOY THIS QUALITY CLEANING : a a for the a ENTIRE FAMILY! a a 11 a a U U U U U a a a a a a a a a Li IV/ • TOP COATS • SUITS a • Plain DRESSES & SUITS it PANTS, SWEATERS 1 Day Service Including Sat. Professionally Done. Dry Cleaned and Spotted Up to 8 lbs. a $ c U 29 COIN-OP DRY CLEANING U Plain SKIRTS .. 2 00 animaIMEMENII ■ U a SHIRTS BEAUTIFULLY U U LAUNDERED U U U U Northwest Area's Most Modern Plant a ASSAR CLEANERS U 1 : Un,w 9 fth.464 annuaL Naitcput WEDNESDAY EVENING, NOV. 30, COBO HALL remeantomassmommatamatumiteas* It is our pleasure to announce the impressive function planned this year by Detroit Friends of Bar-Ilan University, with eminent guests as par- ticipants. We are grateful for Detroit Jewry's previous encouragement to this great task and are confident that the vast growth of Bar-Ilan University and its great need in Israel will assure another success for the November 30 dinner. Bar-Ilan University Banquet Committee Max M. Fisher Samuel Frankel Honorary Chairman General Chairman Hyman Safran Dr. J. E. Goldman Judge John M. Wise Charles Grosberg Joseph Jackier Dinner Committee Co-Chairmen Morris Karbal Abe Kasle David 1. Berris Abraham Borman Tom Borman David J. Cohen Avern Cohn Edward C. Levy David Pollack Julius Rotenberg Philip Slomovitz Max Stollman Jack Sylvan Paul Zuckerman Scholarship Committee Irwin I. Cohn, Chairman Samuel Hechtman Norman Allan Morris J. Brandwine Daniel Laven Nathan Goldin M. Ben Lewis David Safran Richard Sloan Dinner Arrangements Committee THEODORE BIKEL DR. ORMOND DRAKE Please Respond Promptly to the Invitation For reservations call DI 1-0708 a a DI. 1-2800 near Snowden Honorary Co-Chairmen Guest Artist U a U a U a a a a a a a a a a Phone: 13336 W. 7 MILE To the Jewish Community of Detroit: ah-glan- a a a Paul Baker Norman J. Cohen Norman Gordon David Muskovitz Phillip Stollman, Chairman Board of Trustees Graham Orley Max Ostrow David Sakwa