A bill allowing brief, daily silent prayer or meditation in New Jersey public schools was passed on to the Senate last week after winning almost unanimous approval in the State Assembly. The measure, which could constitute a challenge to the U.S. Supreme Court’s interpretation of the Constitution’s edict calling for separation of church and state is expected to face a veto by Gov. Richard J. Hughes if passed by the Senate. He vetoed a similar bill last year and its supporters failed by a narrow margin to over-ride it. The measure supported by 15 Democrats and 44 Republicans provides for a period of meditation at the opening of every school day and would be mandatory if directed by the local school board and optional with each teacher in lieu of any school board directive.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
