The Central Conference of American Rabbis, at its annual convention here, went on record as opposing the recommendation made by the New York Board of Regents that every school day begin with a non-sectarian prayer. The introduction of such a prayer may lead to further encroachment upon the principle of separation of church and state, the Conference emphasized.
The convention denounced what it called “a virulent campaign against the public schools.” Endorsing the report of the Committee on Church and State of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the convention criticized the “will allegations of subversion by self-appointed vigilantes, mounting irresponsible criticism of textbooks, the familiar and frightening techniques of witch-hunting and book-burning, intimidation by super-patriots and pressure from the sincerely misguided and uninformed, suspicions and insinuations which would confine the genuine, earnest disagreement are the signs of the crisis and conflict.”
Dr. Nelson Glueck, president of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, addressing the convention said that Reform Judaism does not believe in the union of church and state in America and “finds it no more palatable” in Israel than in the United States. “We are sager for intellectual and spiritual interchange in fullest possible measure with our brethren in Israel, but we can accept only those interpretations and forms of faith which are in harmony with our understanding of Judaism,” he told the 400 Reform rabbis attending the parley.
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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.
