The American Jewish Congress called on Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller today to veto a bill passed yesterday by the State Senate to permit “silent prayer or meditation” in public schools at the beginning of each school day. In a telegram to the Governor’s mansion in Albany, Theodore J. Kolish, chairman of the AJ Congress New York Metropolitan Council urged Rockefeller to veto the bill. “This bill is an obvious attempt to circumvent the J.S. Supreme Court’s sound decision holding that it is not the business of the state through the public schools or otherwise to foster religion,” Kolish stated. “Preservation of our religious heritage is the responsibility of the home, the church and the synagogue. There is no reason to believe that they have failed in that responsibility. In any case, religion and religious freedom are the inevitable losers when the government ventures into this field.”
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
