Aj Congress Terms Agudath Israel’s Criticism of Pearl Distorted, Unjust

Charges by Rabbi Meshe Sherer. executive president of Agudath Israel, that opponents of government aid to parochial schools are hostile to Jewish day schools and unrepresentative of American Jews were termed “distorted, inflammatory and unjust” by the American Jewish Congress. In a statement today to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Richard Cohen, associate executive director of the AJ Congress, reaffirmed his organization’s view that a direct government aid to religious schools would represent a serious abridgement of the First Amendment. “We are not prepared to surrender that protection, whatever false charges of ‘secularism’ Rabbi Sherer may care to level,” Mr. Cohen stated. Rabbi Sherer’s statement criticizing the AJ Congress and other Jewish organizations in the Committee for Public Education and Religious Liberty (PEARL) was issued after PEARL filed a suit on July 30 in the U.S. District Court aimed at prohibiting expenditure of state funds on parochial schools under the Mandated Services Act. PEARL and 13 individual plaintiffs argued that the Act is unconstitutional under both the U.S. and the New York State Constitutions. Mr. Cohen noted that “representative Jewish groups” are not alone in their opposition to parochial aid. Rabbi Sherer had stated that “for years, certain Jewish organizations, spearheaded by the American Jewish Congress have brought disgrace to the Jewish name by their highly publicized harassment of the non-public religious schools in their efforts to obtain government support for their secular programs.”

In his statement to the JTA. Mr. Cohen observed that, contrary to Rabbi Sherer’s view, “we are joined in this opposition throughout the country by representative Protestant groups, by concerned Catholic lay organizations and individuals, and by civic groups that support the concept of free public education for all.” These groups, Mr. Cohen noted are concerned that the siphoning off of public funds for religious schools, at a time when funds are insufficient for public schools, will further weaken the public school system. Mr. Cohen noted that of the $28 million appropriated under the Mandated Services Act only $1.5 million would go to Jewish day schools. “Thus, Rabbi Sherer’s tax money and mine will go to support a religion to which neither of us adheres, Mr. Cohen said. “Is that his idea of Jewish education?” Mr. Cohen noted that the AJ Congress supports both the right and the necessity of religious education and supports greater apportionment “of Jewish communal funds for Jewish education.” He also recounted that at the recent meeting of the National Jewish Community Relations Advisory Council the AJ Congress’ position was “again overwhelmingly endorsed by nearly 100 local and national Jewish agencies represented in NJCRAC. Only the Orthodox group objected to the positions adopted.” The AJ Congress official stated that “if any groups ‘speak for the Jewish citizens of this land’ on the subject of governmental aid to religious schools, it is certainly that the groups represented in PEARL – not Agudath Israel – do.”