Jewish College Freshman Are More Left
of Center Than Gentile Peers, Poll Finds
Boris Smolar's
Between You
... and Me'
Editordla-Chlef Emeritus, JTA
(Copyright 1972, JTA Inc.)
CONTROVERSIAL ISSUE: The question whether or
not to come to the aid of parents who prefer to send their
children to religious all-day schools rather than to public
schools has suddenly become a major issue in the Presi-
dential elections campaign. Both President Nixon and Sen.
George McGovern are now involved in this issue on which
there is strong division of opinion in the ranks of organized
American Jewry.
It all revolves around the bill now before Congress
which would allow individual parents to claim credits against
their federal income tax for up to $200 tuition for each
child attending any private nonprofit school. Eight major
Jewish organizations oppose the bill. They argue that the
proposed tuition tax credit is a form of government financial
support of religious activity. They consider it a "transparent
device" for evasion of the provision in the U.S. Constitution
which separates the state from the church.
Opposing the tax deduction are the American Jewish
Committee, American Jewish Congress, Bnai Brith Anti-
Defamation League, Jewish Labor Committee, Jewish War
Veterans, National Council of Jewish Women. Even the
United Synagogue of America, which sponsors now 44
Conservative all-day schools, is against the bill. So is the
Union of American Hebrew Congregations, the central body
of Reform Judaism, which started to open day schools and
is now represented in the Jewish all-day school movement
with three schools—in New York, Miami and Houston.
Strongly favoring the bill. however, are Orthodox
Jewish groups who pioneered the all-day Jewish school
movement in this country. There are new more than 440
Jewish day schools in the United States, the great majority
of which are Orthodox. Sixteen of them were opened as
recently as last month, when the crrrent school season
started. It is estimated that 80,000 pupils are now attending
the Jewish day schools of all types, with a substantia'
proportion of them corning from poor families.
THE PROS AND CONS: Leaders of the Jewish Ortho-
dox school movement claim that their schcols face financial
distress to a point where salaries are not being paid to
teachers. They feel that the government's ranting to par-
ents of a $200 deduction from federal taxes for each child
would enable many low-incerne families to pay tuition, or
part of the tuition, which they cannot afford to pay now.
In some Jewish day-schools tuition is as high as $500 a
year per child. And there are parents who have more than
one child of school age.
Supporters of the tuition tax credit bill argue that the
parents who send their children to religious day schools
are taxpayers. Part of their taxes. the argument goes, is
being used for maintaining the public school system. Since
these parents do not send their children to public schools,
they are entitled to ask that their tax money for education
be spent for the schools to which they do send their chil-
dren—the religious schools.
On the other hand, the Jewish organizations which
oppose the tuition tax credit point out that the measure
constitutes a violation of the principle of separation of
church and state and is thus unconstitutional. They empha-
size that they are interested in advancing the cause of
Jewish education, but they express the conviction that the
Jewish community has the resources to finance Jewish
education adequately without the aid of government funds.
Side by side with the Orthodox Jewish organizations
pleading for the passage by Congress of the tuition tax bill
is the Catholic Church which maintains thousands of all-day
schools which are also now in a difficult financial situation.
But like the eight major Jewish organizations opposing the
bill, there are also many non-Jewish groups which claim
that federal assistance to religious schools in any form—
including the form proposed in the pending bill—is uncon-
stitutional. These opposing groups include the powerful
National Education Association.
The Jewish groups opposing the proposed tax legislation
have made the views known in testimonies before the Con-
gressional committee which is now holding hearings on the
controversial measure. So did representatives of the Ortho-
dox groups favoring the measure. As the situation stands
now, it seems unlikely that the bill will be passed by
Congress this year.
51.000,000,000 QUESTION: The Nixon administration
supports the bill. McGovern, the Democratic Party Presi-
dential nominee; told Jewish leaders in New York that he
endorses a system of federal tax credits to parents who
send their children to religious schools, provided that the
court rules that such credits are constitutional.
The issue has suddenly emerged on the election cam-
paign scene as a major issue not only because of the in-
volvement of The church-state separation principle. It is
estimated that the projected tax credits would cost the U.S.
Treasury about $1,000,000,000 annually in reduced revenue.
And the question is being asked: How will this lost revenue
be covered?
Mr. Nixon's advisers suggest that the loss be offset by
corresponding cuts in other educational expenditures. Mc-
Govern stresses that while be is for federal support to
parents sending their children to religious schools, he is also
for increased support to the public schools. Thus he seems
to be clear in his view that the proposed tax credit bill
should not affect government aid to the public school
system.
411—Friday, Oct 13, 1972
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
A Jewish sampling in a ques-
tionnaire conducted among
171,509 freshmen in 326
colleges by the American
Council on Education, shows
that Jewish undergraduates
still stand to the left of their
non-Jewish peers in their
political thinking and social
outlook.
bound high school seniors.
On militancy in behalf of
racial or ethnic equality, the
Jewish ratio was again one
out of three—and more than
twice that of the norm.
Similarly, more than one
of every four in the Jewish
sampling had worked active-
ly in a national or local pol-
itical campaign — twice the
The comparison made in
over-all proportion.
relation to the over-all group
Other distinctions:
was made by Dr. Max F.
• Only a minority (38 per
Baer, national director of
cent) of the over-all poll ap-
Bnai Brith Youth Organiza-
proved legalization °I.-mari-
tion.
juana, but among Jewish re-
The research, in which 133 spondents it was -a major-
separate questions were ity (53 per cent).
asked, showed that when the
• An overwhelming 72.2
variables dealt with polit- per cent of the Jewish group
ical or social issues, Jew- faulted the federal govern-
ish youth were not only more ment as failing to accelerate
liberal in viewpoint than school desegregation, as
non-Jewish classmates, but compared to a bare 51.7 per
also more in support of their cent majority for the all-in-
views.
clusive group.
Thus, while still seniors
• On abolishing capital
in high school, about one of punishment: Jewish stu-
every three Jews students dents, 72 per cent; over-all,
had taken part in one or 57.6 per cent.
more demonstrations for a
In self-rating their political
change in U.S. military attitudes, 64.3 per cent of
policy—three times the pro- the Jewish freshmen listed
portion among & all college- themselves as "left of cen-
Vilnay Joins IDropme Faculty
as Handlernan Bible Professor
ter"—a jump up from the
55 per cent that gave the
same answer in an earlier
poll among 1969 freshman.
But only a 38.1 per cent
minority among the over-all
group rated itself as "left
of center" in the later study.
The survey found that the
differences between Jewish
and other students were par-
ticularly pronounced on is-
sues related to student au-
tonom y. Proportionately,
about twice as many Jewish
students (24.3 per cent as
others (46.5 per cent) said
that college administrations
had been too lax on stu-
dents' protests.
Should college authorities
regulate off-campus beha-
vior? Few students agree
with this concept. But among
Jews acceptance of it (8.3
per cent) is much less than
among all students (13.8 per
cent ).
The same ratio of differ-
ence was found in such "civil
liberties" issues as banning
an extremist speaker from
campus (Jews, 12.9 per cent;
overall, 27.8 per cent) and
censoring student publica-
tions (Jews. 16.2 per cent;
overall 32.5 per cent).
Other findings of the sur-
vey mold a prototype of the
Jewish undergraduate that
reaffirms some familiar no-
tions — medicine, law and
teaching are still dominant
among his career choices—
but also reveal some unsus-
pected ones.
One example: The stereo-
typed assumption of a "gen-
eration gap" cutting off
meaningful communication
between Jewish students and
parents isn't as realistic as
some observers make it out
to be.
The study, which covered
a weighted sample of 9.455
of last year's Jewish fresh-
man at the time they entered
college, disclosed that almost
half of that group claimed
"frequent discussions" with
parents. Only one in 20 said
there was "no communica-
tion at all."
By comparison, the "fre-
quent" ratio among all 1971
freshmen- was four out of 10.
Those polled were, for the
most part, in the 18-year-old
bracket.
Menora Found Cut in Rock
PHILADELPHIA — Ex-
In an organized effort to
panding its program of schol- perpetuate the name of a
arship and research in keep- great Jewish scholar of bibli-
ing with the emerging cul- cal learning, and at the same
ture of the state of Israel, time enhance the prestige of
Dropsie University here has the Bible department and
added to its curriculum for Dropsie University, a num-
the first time post-graduate ber of community leaders
studies in Bible geography.
and scholars have establish-
Strengthening further its ed the Max L. Margolis So-
scholarly ties with the state ciety for Bible Studies at
of Israel, Dr. Abraham I. Dropsie.
5.
Katsh, president of Dropsie,
Dr. Joseph Levitsky, noted
The discovery of a menora cut in a rock among the
announced that Dr. Zev Vil- educator and Hebraic scholar
ruins of what is considered a synagogue area has created
nay, leading Israeli geog- who is an alumnus of Drop-
new and greater interest in the archeological dig at
rapher and author, has come sic, is spearheading the or-
Khirbet Shema on the northern border of Israel near
here from Israel to join the ganization and serves as co-
Sated. The original stone was placed in the Rockefeller
faculty as visiting Handle- ordinator f or membership,
Museum in Jerusalem by the department of antiquities
man Professor of Biblical which is open to all interest-
which is preparing a replica to be displayed at The
Geography.
ed members of the commu-
Dropsie University, Philadelphia, one of the American
In light of the many arch- nity.
schools of higher learning participating in this archeo-
eological findings in Israel,
The society will be affili-
logical study of Early Judaism and Early Christianity.
Dr. Vilnay's courses will be ated with the World Jewish
Shown (from left) with the menora find are Dr. Eric
designed to help create a Bible Society of Biblical Re-
M. Meyers, an expert in Jewish history and archeology,
better understanding of the search in Israel. Former Is-
who is field director of the dig; Dr. Abraham I. Katsh,
geographical background of raeli Prime Minister David
president of Dropsie, who lectured to the faculty staff
historical event s, and to Ben-Gurion is president of
and students conducting the excavation; and Prof. James
throw light on the geograph- the World Jewish Bible So-
F. Strange of the University of Florida. Dropsie has been
ical background of the minor- ciety, whose membership in-
participating in the Khirbet Shema dig for the past three
ity groups in the Holy Land cludes renowned biblical and
years with Duke, Drake, Minnesota, Drew and Harvard
such as the various Christian Judaica scholars from all
universities.
groups, Arabs and Druze. countries.
His previous visit to the
The late Dr. Margolis' name
United States was as a stu- and work, it was pointed out
dent at Dropsie, where he by Dr. Levitsky, has always
JERUSALEM — When Is- toward our activities and
received his doctorate in been associated with Drop-
1938.
sie. He was the institution's raeli archeologists set out to placed the desired area at
Dr. Vilnay was an instruc- first professor whom Dr. Cy- excavate the large mound of our disposal. Then, when I
tor in military topography in rus Adler, the first presi- Tel Hatzor in northern Is- had to make up my mind
rael, in 1955, the main prob- on which part of the mound
the Hagana and later dur- dent, appointed in 1909.
ing the War of Independence
At Dropsie, Dr. Margolis lam was where to begin so as to begin our dig, I said to
(1948) and the Six-Day War served as professor of bibli- to uncover the ruins of the myself 'Ask the people who
(1967). Since then, he has cal philology, a chair he oc- city of King Yavin, who ruled live here today.'
"I went to Mr. Gottfried
been teaching history and cupied until his death in 1932. throu ghout e Galil ee.
The original way in which and asked him, 'If you were
topography at the Military The post-graduate institution
the
problem
was
solved
was
the
King of Hatzor, where
Academy of Education in is the only non-theological
Jerusalem attended by offi- and non-sectarian one of its recounted recently by Prof. would you build your pal-
Yigal Yadin, former corn- ace?'
cers in the Israeli Army.
kind in the United States that
"lie pointed out a corner
Dr. Vilnay, whose "Guide is completely dedicated to mander-in-chief of the Israel
to Israel" has been the bi- the study of Hebrew, biblical army, who headed the arche- of the mound and said, 'Over
there, If I had to build a
ble of tourists since its and Middle Eastern languages ological mission.
"When we came to Rosh house on the mound I would
first appearance in 1955, will and cultures, and for higher
conduct his courses at Drop- Jewish education. While at Pina," Yadin said, "we choose that spot, because
found
that the land within cool and pleasant breezes
sie's Handleman Communi- Dropsie, Dr. Margolis absent-
cations Center for the Study ed himself for only one year and around the Tel Hatzor from the west blow there all
of Man's Humanity which when he was invited to Jeru- mound belonged to the farm- day long.'
was established several salem by the newly-estab- ers of the village. Lengthy
"We decided to follow his
years ago as a result of a lished II e b r e w University negotiations, not always advice and began to dig on
generous gift from Joseph there to introduce and teach pleasant, were entered into that spot. We did not find
to acquire the rights to carry one palace there—we found
Handleman of Detroit and courses in the Bible.
Miami. The center was es-
Recognized as the greatest out the excavations in these eight of them dating back
tablished at Dropsie to help master of biblical learning areas, from the era of King Solo-
"Finally we came to the mon down to the days of
students gain an understand- yet produced in American
owner of the mound itself, Pekah, the son of Remaliah.
ing of the force of communi- Jewry,
Dr. Margolis was the
Mr. Gottfried, one of the Apparently all these kings
cations in shaping man's be-
descendant of a long line of
veteran settlers of the vil- had thought the way Mr.
havior and attitudes.
rabbis and scholars
loge. II e was sympathetic
Gottfried of Rosh Pina did."
Some Things Never Change