Nixon Urged to Reconsider Pledge to Aid Non-public Schools

The National Council of Jewish Women has expressed concern over President Nixon’s pledge to extend federal aid to non-public schools. Nixon made the pledge April 6 to the convention of the National Catholic Education Committee in Philadelphia. In a letter to the President, Mrs. Earl Marvin, NCJW president, stated that the intent to give aid to parochial schools runs counter to a number of court decisions.

“We strongly oppose any attempts to circumvent the principle of separation of church and state,” she wrote and expressed the hope that “as a demonstration of your devotion to a strict interpretation of our Constitution you will reconsider this commitment.” Mrs. Marvin added that apart from the Constitutional question involved, federal aid to non-public schools would diminish funds for public education, which are already inadequate, and thus further weaken public education.

Israel’s cost of living index rose by two percent during Feb., the Central Bureau of Statistics reported today. While most Items remained stable, there were steep rises in the prices of clothing, footwear and housing.

The Buchenwald Memorial Committee in West Germany announced today that more than five million persons have visited the site of that Nazi concentration camp since its memorial stone was erected in 1958. Last year, there were 387,000 visitors. Some of the visitors have been German, but many have come from the US, Israel and France.

Israel’s wheat crop is expected to reach a record 270,000 tons this year, more than 80 percent of the country’s annual wheat consumption, Agriculture Minister Haim Gvati reported. The reason is the correct distribution of rains over the course of the growing season.