Orthodox Groups Take Issue with A.a.j.e. on Federal Aid to Schools

Two national Orthodox Jewish organizations today sharply criticized a recent statement by the American Association for Jewish Education which criticized President Johnson’s aid to education bill and proposed as an alternative, the enrollment of all pupils in public schools during the morning hours with private religious instruction to be available in the afternoon.

Both the Agudath Israel of America and National Society for Hebrew Day Schools scored the AAJE suggestion as detrimental to the interests of the Hebrew day school movement. Amos Bunim, chairman of the executive committee of the National Society for Hebrew Day Schools, said in a statement that the AAJE proposal would force the day schools movement “to transform its schools into auxiliary, afternoon Hebrew schools,” which, he said, was completely contrary to the movement’s basic philosophy.