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Reform Congregations Oppose Proposal for Aid to Religious Schools

May 27, 1963
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A proposal made last week by U. S. Sen. Abraham A. Ribicoff, who had declared himself in favor of federal aid to private and parochial schools, was denounced here last night by Emil N. Baar, chairman of the board of trustees of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, as “unfortunate” and “ill-considered.

Addressing the Reform congregational two-day annual meeting in this city, Mr. Baar charged that Sen. Ribicoff’s plan “circumvents” the principle of Church-State separation. The Ribicoff plan, he alleged, “doesn’t scale the wall of separation of church and state, but seeks to go around it or under it.” Recalling that the UAHC had already declared itself as opposed to federal aid to parochial schools, Mr. Baar charged that Sen. Ribicoff’s proposal would “further endanger the ultimate welfare of the nation.”

At last night’s convention dinner of the Union, Rep. Emanuel Celler appealed to President Kennedy to define the United States policy on the Middle East “through a clear and unequivocal statement that this country will not tolerate the aggressive preparations by Egypt and her Arab neighbors to carry out threats to exterminate the State of Israel.”

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