The entire Jewish community has lined up behind a statement adopted by the executive committee of the Jewish Community Council, and endorsed by the Houston Rabbinical Association, opposing the teaching of religion in the public schools here. The statement was drafted after more than six months of study, going through nine drafts before it was adopted.
Every rabbi in this community has read the full text of the statement from his pulpit. Referring to the courts as “the last resort,” the Statement on Religion in the Public Schools urge “all responsible educators and public school officials, as well as religious leaders and laymen, to use every effort to make public school practices conform with fundamental American law and our country’s tradition of religious liberty.”
Charles Keilin, chairman of the Jewish Community Relations Committee, declared that the statement represents an initial educational program within the Jewish community on the important church-state issue. He said: “We have been concerned with the problem of sectarian religion in our public schools for many years; and in view of the Supreme Court decision last June, and anticipating those that are expected to be handed down shortly by the Court, we deemed it helpful to acquaint as many Jewish people as possible with the issues as we understand them.”
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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.
