The American Jewish Congress scored the National Education Association today for failing to take a clear stand on the question of sponsoring tours for teachers to countries which discriminate against Jews.
In a letter to Dr. William G. Carr, executive secretary of the NEA, Dr. Joachim Prinz, chairman of the AJC commission on international affairs, noted that the organization had removed Jordan from the list of countries to which it will sponsor tours, but continued approval of Lebanon and Jordan on the basis of “oral assurances” that Jewish teachers would not be barred if they were not “Zionists.”
“This artificial distinction between ‘Zionists’ and ‘Jews’ is a transparent device by which these governments may conveniently discriminate against all Jews,” Dr. Prinz charged. Furthermore, he said, the “oral assurances” of Syria and Lebanon ran counter to written declarations by those governments.
Urging the board of directors to reconsider their “unfortunate” decision, the AJC letter concluded: “The National Education Association has a moral responsibility. It will do more for the true ends of education, we submit, by voicing its protest against bigotry than by arranging Near Eastern tours for some of its members.”
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