School Vouchers
They are proposals that would provide
tax vouchers — usually in the $1,000
range — to parents with children in
private and parochial schools to help
offset tuition costs. The justification is
that these parents pay taxes for public
schools they don't use, so why not give
them something back?
Jewish groups are bitterly divided.
Orthodox groups and Jewish
Republicans support vouchers, which
they say would help struggling Jewish
day schools and provide badly needed
competition to force public schools to
improve.
Opponents scoff; vouchers
would bleed still more money
from public schools and benefit
mostly those who don't need help;
even with vouchers, most private
schools would remain too expen-
sive for inner-city parents. And
vouchers, they say, are the foot in
the door to more comprehensive
public funding of religious
schools.
The Clinton administration has
vetoed several voucher bills and
promises to keep vetoing them.
Vouchers also go by the name of
School Choice. The idea is that
the tax breaks will give parents
more freedom to choose the best
schools for their kids.
Education Savings Accounts
They would allow parents to sock
away tax-free money to be used
for educational expenses at any
school —public or private.
Backers say this skirts the church-
state minefield, since the tax sav-
ings would be available to any par-
ent. They also argue that the sav-
ings programs could boost public
schools by allowing parents to use
the money to buy educational
materials the schools can't afford.
Not true, opponents argue; like
vouchers, education savings
accounts would reduce total dol-
lars available for education.
Charitable Choice
The proposal would allow religious
institutions to participate with fewer
restrictions in government-funded
human -service programs.
Today, churches and synagogues
can use government money to provide
things such as drug counseling and
7/16
1999
28 Detroit Jewish News
elder services, but there are safeguards
against church-state infringements.
For example, services can't be
offered in church sanctuaries, or in
conjunction with the distribution of
religious literature. Supporters say eas-
ing restrictions would enhance local
"faith-based" services that have proven
their worth; opponents say it's another
crack in the church-state wall, and
that some religious groups would use
the services they provide as an oppor-
tunity for proselytizing.
Again: Orthodox Jewish groups
generally support these proposals,
Jewish "defense organizations" oppose.
groups unanimously oppose, would
legalize sectarian prayer in the pub-
lic schools and remove restrictions
on the funding of parochial institu-
tions. It would also expand the
range of religious expression allowed
at public events—school gradua-
tions, for example.
Religious Liberty Protection Act
Unlike the Religious Freedom
Amendment, the RLPA is supported
by every major Jewish group. The
measure, a successor to the overturned
Religious Freedom Restoration Act, is
aimed at making it harder for state
It was defeated in Congress last year
but may be returning this summer. It
is really a sweeping school prayer mea-
sure with parochial school aid thrown
in for good measure.
The amendment, which Jewish
From the pages of The Jewish News
for this week 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50
years ago.
1989
Kolel America faxes prayers from
Jews worldwide to the Kolel office
in Jerusalem; they are then taken to
the Kotel for insertion in the wall.
Aaron Krickstein of Grosse
Pointe Woods lost his fourth-round
tennis match at Wimbeldon to
Boris Becker in three sets.
1979
The Religious Freedom Amendment to
the Constitution sounds a lot like the
Religious Liberty Protection Act,
Religion Breakdown
but just ask any Jewish activist in
in the (ii today
Washington: the two propos-
als are light years apart.
Similarly, even Jewish
newspaper editors get
confused by the blizzard
of proposals in Congress
on funding private and
parochial schools.
Religious freedom and
church-state issues are
once again front and center
in the Capitol, thanks to a
Jews No religion .
Eastern Orthodox
Republican-dominated
3% 5%
1%
Congress and a loose coalition
Mormons Other religions
1% 3%
of religious right, Catholic and
private school advocacy groups, as
well as Orthodox Jewish organizations.
And it's hard to tell the, players apart without a program.
So here's a glossary of today's hot issues along the church-state axis, and
pointers to where Jewish groups stand.
Religious Freedom Amendment
Remember
When I. • •
and local governments to pass laws
that could limit religious practice,
even inadvertently.
An example: if RLPA passes, it
would be tougher for cities to enforce
zoning laws that would impede the
operation of churches or synagogues. ❑
Primo Levi, one of the few Italian
Jewish concentration camp sur-
vivors, won Italy's literary award for
his novel La Chiave a Stella.
Carolyn Greenberg was named
Michigan field representative for
the American Friends of Hebrew
University in Jerusalem.
1969
A spectacular fire in the harbor at
Eilat destroyed export goods worth
$142,857; the El Fatah guerrilla
organization claimed credit for the
sabotage.
The local sales office of El Al
Airlines transferred its base of oper-
ations in the Detroit metro area to
a new Southfield address, on
_
Southfield Road at Mt. Vernon.
1959
Former Egyptian and Syrian Jews
were barred from returning to their
native lands by a ruling of the
United Arab Republic.
Open-heart surgery was tested
on animals in Jerusalem's
Rothschild Hadassah University
Hospital, where a heart-lung
machine was built and operated.
Arrangements were made for a mil-
itary funeral with full honors in
Jerusalem for Meyer Tobiansky,
who was convicted by a Hagannah
court of treasonably giving infor-
mation to the enemy and was shot ' s"
the same day. A review of the case
established that he was innocent
and the execution a tragic mistake.
It was announced that Hank
Greenberg will star when Cleveland
meets Detroit in the upcoming Old
Timers Game at Briggs Stadium.