Good inter group relations are vital to national progress and to the nation’s position of leadership in the free world, President Kennedy stated here today at a White House reception for trustees of the National Conference of Christians and Jews
The reception by Mr. Kennedy marked the conclusion of the NCCJ’s 33rd anniversary convention, held here the last three days; More than 500 delegates and guests attended the convention which, at its closing session, re-elected its major officers, including three national co-chairmen: Lewis L. Strauss, former United States Secretary of Commerce; Robert D. Murphy, former Undersecretary of State; and Carrol M. Shanks. Dr. Lewis Webster Jones was re-elected president.
At the White House reception, the NCCJ trustees informed the President of the launching of a new, four-year project to “raise the general level of discussion” of public issues, such as aid to parochial schools and birth control, on which major religious groups in this country are in sharp disagreement.
Earlier, in an address to the convention, Dr. Jones reported on his recent trip abroad, during which he visited European countries as well as Israel, and his conclusion that “the principle of the complete separation of Church and State appears to be uniquely American.” He said the four-year project on Religious Freedom and Public Affairs was needed because there is “considerable confusion” in America about the meaning of religious liberty and its application to public issues.
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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.
