THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Jewish Organizations Testify on U.S. School Prayer Proposal WASHINGTON (JTA) — Spokesmen for national Jewish organizations, tes- tifying before Congres- sional subcommittees, ex- _ pressed strong opposition last week to legislation that would bar federal courts - A hearing legal chal- - .,es to organized prayer in public schools. Alvin Gray of Cleveland, co-chairman of the Ameri- can Jewish Congress gov- erning council, testified be- fore a subcommittee of the State Judiciary Committee. - Samuel Rabinove, legal di- rector of the American Jewish Committee, testified at hearings of the House Judiciary Committee's Sub- committee on Courts, Civil Liberties and the Adminis- tration of Justice. Gray testified as a spokesman for the Ameri- can Jewish Congress as one of the affiliated organiza- tions of the National Jewish Community Relations Advisory Council (NJCRAC), which also re- presents 108 local Jewish Community Councils. Both the AJCongress and the AJCommittee are member agencies of the NJCRAC. Gray testified that "we believe firmly that any impairment of the authority of the courts to redress constitutional violations would imperil our system of law and impede progress toward unity and common pur- pose in our society." The amendment would dep- rive federal courts of jurisdiction in determin- ing challenges to state and local laws calling for voluntary prayer in the public schools. Gray said the amendment "manifests a hostility to the principle of church-state separation ostensibly under the guise of protecting reli- gious freedom." Gray declared that if the amendment becomes law, it would establish "the dangerous precedent of dis- abling the federal courts from protecting constitu- tional rights when those rights become politically upsppular" and "in effect, overrule the salutary prin- ciple of judicial supremacy in matters of constitutional interpretation." Citing Supreme Court de- cisions in and 1963, which held unconstitu- tional the recital of non- denominational, state- sponsored prayers or readings from the Bible in Foreign Students Are Impressed With Program at Hebrew University JERUSALEM — Some 18,000 students from out- side Israel have studied at the Hebrew University's School for Overseas Stu- dents since its programs began operating after the Six-Day War. For many of the students it was a first step towards immigration to Israel. For -many others, it was the be- ginning of a relationship with Israel or with Judaism. For some, it meant the start of political awareness of Israel's place as a nation in the Middle East; for others, it awakened dor- mant Jewish identity and led to personal involvement in a local Jewish commu- nity, affecting many others. Statistical estimates have hinted at a very large rate of return to Is- rael among Hebrew Uni- versity ex-students. The President of the Univer- sity, Avraham Harman and the Provost of the School, Dr. Zev Klein, op- erate under the assump- tion that the School for Over-seas Students exemplified the univer- sity's sense of responsi- bility to World Jewry. The thousand students who come annually for their "Junior Year Abroad" take an array of courses in the school's one-year-program, primarily in English, for the most part in the fields of Jewish, Israel and Middle East Studies. public schools, Rabinove argued that "no prayer can ever be truly non- denominational. In at- -tempting to incorporate the tenets of several major reli- gions, the meaning of prayer can only be diluted." He added "it is simply not the business of our govern- ment to compose or to spon- sor prayers for American children to recite" in public schools. He also contended, as did Gray, that the amendment was "perilous" because it would "open the door to fu- ture legislation to divest the federal courts of juris- diction over other matters involving fundamental liberties." If the amend- ment was adopted, he tes- tified, "nothing in the Bill of Rights would ever be truly secure again." Council Follows Helms Debate In a letter to the Michigan issues." Congressional delegation, The Congressmen were Jewish Community Council urged to oppose the Helms President Marian Shifman Amendment and "keep the has voiced concern over re- 1st Amendment intact." cent attempts by some • The Michigan Congres- members of the U.S. House sional delegation has acted of Representatives to bring as follows concerning the the Helms Amendment to a discharge petition to bring floor vote. The bill would the Helms Amendment out deny all federal courts the. of committee and to the authority to review cases House floor for a vote: arising from challenges to signed petition — Davy public school prayer legisla- Stockman, Bob Traxler, tion. Mrs. Shifman explained Guy Vander Jagt; Don Al- that the Helms Amendment bosta, Bob Davis; will not is regarded as not only a sign petition — John Con- threat to the American tra- yers, Howard Wolpe, Bob dition of church-state sep- Carr, Dale Kildee, Dave aration, but also "as a Bonior, Lucien Nedzi, Bill dangerous assault of ques- Ford, William Brodhead, tionable constitutionality Jim Blanchard; considering on the authority of the Sup- or undecided — Carl Pur- reme Court to rule de=_ sell, Harold Sawyer, John finitvely on constitutional Dingell, Bill Broomfield. WASHINGTON (JTA) — U.S. Senator Mike Gravel (D- Alaska) who intimated that Jews from outside Alaska were opposing his re-election, apparently lost his bid yesterday for a third term. Reports from Juneau, Alaska's capital, said Gravel was decisively de- r `ed by Anchorage yer Clark Gruening in the Democratic primary election. With 387 of the state's 421 precincts report- ing, Gruening had 33,698 votes to 26,789 for Gravel. In Washington, Gravel's office refused to concede de- feat. It told the Jewish Tele- graphic Agency that 34 pre- cincts in which Gravel usu- ally held majorities have yet to report results. Gruening, 34, a former state legislator, is a grandson of the late Er - . nest Gruening, one of Alaska's first two sena- tors. Gravel unseated him in 1968 and has been in the senate for 12 years. The elder Gruening was born in New York of Jewish parents who joined the. Ethical Cul- ture Society. Gravel accused Clark Gruening of receiving cam- paign contributions from a "special interest group" — Jews. He accused Gruening of breaking a pledge not to accept money from special interest groups by soliciting contributions from Jews liv- ing outside Alaska. "There is no question," Gravel charged last week, that the funds are coming from "a special interest group" that seeks to "influ- ence the foreign policy of the United States." Gruening described Gravels charge of "border- ing on outright slander." All of his approximately 1,600 contributions, totalling about $230,000 reported by Gruening, have come from individuals. About three out of four of them live in Alaska. Not a penny has come from special interest groups," Gruening said last Friday. :Undoubtedly some At the same time, they learn the Hebrew language intensively and, if they qualify, can attend regular university classes in He- brew. Their summer orien- •• IN THE DAIRY EVERFRESEI ORANGE JUICE" NEW YORK Lubavitcher Rebbe Menahem M. Schneerson, has called for vigorous, widespread efforts to estab- lish various levels of Torah study groups for senior citi- zens in communities around the world. The Rebbe, in an address at Lubavitch World Head- quarters in New York, noted the growing number of elderly or retired Jewish men and women' who are worried and frustrated not knowing how to fill up their day. HALF GALLON • • •• • CALL TODAY FOR A PRIVATE APPOINTMENT • APPRAISALS: $15 FOR FIRST ITEM AND $5 FOR EACH ADDITIONAL ITEM • WE PURCHASE OLD GOLD AND DIAMOND JEWELRY Tapper's, the source. 26400 West Twelve Mile Road In Southfield's Racquetime Mall Northeast corner of 12 -Mile & Northwestern Hwy. 357-5578 HOURS VISA Mon Tues., Wed., Fri., Sat.. 10.6 Thur.. 10-9 1 OPEN LABOR DAY 9A.M. to SP.M. 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Of the $540,000 Gravel has re- ported spending in the cam- paign, the political action committee contributions make up more than $230,000, according to re- ports from Anchorage. tation period prior to classes includes a full time Hebrew language Ulpan, at graded levels, especially designed for university students. • 00 00 0 Alaska Democrats Choose Jewish Candidate; Opponent Cries Foul By JOSEPH POLAKOFF Friday, August 29, 1980 45 GREENFIELD NEAR LINCOLN TEL-TWELVE MALL