The Central Virginia and Hampton Roads Rabbinical Associations today joined with Protestant and Catholic groups in a statement urging that the Ku Klux Klan be prevented “from becoming a significant force in the communities of the state.”
A statement issued by the Virginia regional office of the National Conference of Christians and Jews said: “The recently held Klan meeting and cross-burning in south-side Virginia. near South Boston, by North Carolina Klansmen and announcement of plans for additional rallies in our Commonwealth are cause for serious concern to religiously motivated and decent people everywhere.
“The Klan’s terroristic tactics and its appeal to the evil passions of hatred and bigotry violate our common Judaic-Christian heritage and democratic traditions,” the statement continued. “They are contrary to legislation enacted by the Virginia General Assembly in 1952 prescribing fines and jail sentences for the wearing of masks and the burning of crosses on the property of persons without their permission. “We are sure that police officers in each locality can be relied upon to enforce the laws of Virginia.”
Signers of the statement were Joseph Goluman, head of the Central Virginia and Hampton Roads Rabbinical Associations, The Most Rev. Peter L. Ireton, Bishop of Richmond, and Francis P. Miller, president of the Virginia Council of Churches.
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