N. C. J. C. S. Hears Opposing Views on Federal Aid to Religious Schools

Federal aid to education, a topic which has split the American Jewish community, was today opposed and defended by speakers at the 39th annual convention of the National Council for Jewish Education and the 67th annual convention of the National Conference of Jewish Communal Service now being held here concurrently.

Samuel Halperin, director of the Legislative Service Branch of the United States Office of Education, told the assembled Jewish educators and social workers that the measure was designed to help all American school children “receive the best education possible, regardless of the school they attend.” He asserted that to assure protection of the church state separation doctrine, the law required that funds go only to public educational agencies and that “the supervision and control of all programs” under the law “rest with public agencies.”

Arnold Aronson, director of program planning of the National Community Relations Advisory Council, told a session of the Jewish Communal Service meeting that federal aid to sectarian education was a threat to the state-church separation principle and to the American public school system. The new law is of immediate significance to Jewish education because pupils of Jewish all-day schools are eligible for help under the measure, which authorizes $100,000,000 for the next school year for textbooks, audio-visual materials and library books on a loan basis for both public and private school pupils.

Mr. Aronson said that members of the Jewish communal workers organization had agreed in the past that public support of education was a violation of the church-state separation principle. He noted that while the law does not give money directly to religious schools, the textbooks will be made available to such schools, while remaining the property of the public school districts.

CONVENTION ELECTS MAURICE BERNSTEIN N. C. J. C. S. PRESIDENT

Maurice Bernstein of New York City was installed as president of the National Conference of Jewish Communal Service at the organization’s convention. He succeeds Bertram H. Gold, executive director of Jewish Centers Association of Los Angeles. Mr. Bernstein is director of Community Planning of the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds. He is noted for the part he played in helping move social work away from the large congregate institution as a method of child care to smaller residential treatment centers and the greater use of foster homes.

Other officers seated are William Avrunin, Detroit, first vice-president; Sidney Vincent, Cleveland, second vice-president; Martha K. Selig, New York, secretary; and Saul Schwarz, Newark, treasurer. Elected for three-year terms to the executive committee are Albert D. Chernin, New York; Frank Fierman, Atlanta; David Rabinovitz, Kansas City; and Paul Steinfeld, Pleasantville, N.Y. Elected to the committee for a one-year term is Elijah Bortniker, Newark.