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Berkley Schools Acceed to Jewish Request; Drop Baccalaureate Service

December 23, 1959
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The Board of Education of Besuley, a suburban area, has decided to abandon baccalaureate services as part of senior high school graduation exercises, following protests of Jewish parents, it was disclosed today.

The decision was announced by the Jewish Community Council of Detroit, with which the Berkley Jewish community is affiliated. The decision followed a series of conferences between school officials and representatives of the Southern Oakland County committee of the Jewish Community Council. The committee acted after several parents had indicated they felt that the sectarian nature of the baccalaureate programs made them improper for public school use.

Christian clergymen who attended the discussions and school board officials accepted a proposal of the Jewish participants that the various churches and synagogues in the area sponsor baccalaureate services for their respective congregants among the graduates.

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