Jewish Congress Files Complaint on Religious Census in Public School

The American Jewish Congress filed a complaint with the New Jersey State Commissioner of Education contesting the taking of a religious census in the Jersey City public school.

The AJC alleged that cards of various colors were distributed to children of various denominations in a local school urging them to designate their religious denominations. Protestant children were given a buff colored card; Catholics, a white card and children of Eastern Orthodox denomination a blue colored card. Jewish children were not given cards because the Jewish religious community disapproves of the taking of a class room religious census.

“The taking of a religious census through the medium of a public school is a violation of the first amendment of the Federal Constitution and of the Constitution of the State of New Jersey,” The AJC statement declared. It urged that a specific directive restraining the responsible officials of New Jersey schools subject to the jurisdiction of the Commissioner of Education from offering any further cooperation or assistance in any plan to take religious censuses through the agency of the public schools.”