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Jewish Educators Parley Hears Attack on “Released Time” System by Dr. Lookstein

May 31, 1949
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Dr. Joseph H. Lookstein, of Yeshivah University, addressing the annual meeting of the American Association for Jewish Education being held here, declared that compulsory public school education "would force upon every. American child a common form of secular education exclusively." He said that such a procedure, though democratic in its intent, would be totalitarian in its effect. Rabbi Lookstein attacked "released time" as a threat to separation of church and state and as an ineffective means of promoting religious interest and cultural values. He defended the development of parochial schools, citing all-day Jewish schools as "a veritable sanctuary in which democratic ideals are treated as divine sacraments."

Dr. Israel Chipkin, executive director of the Association, revealed that the Proportion of Jewish students now attending Jewish schools has risen from 28 to 40 percent. He also noted that educational facilities had expanded and now range from pre-school classes to graduate institutions for professional training. Dr. John L. Childs, of Columbia University’s Teachers College, was one of the principal speakers at the conference.

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