Members of the City Council of Oak Park, a suburban community of 28,000 which borders on Detroit, rescinded a resolution which was charged with being in violation of the principle of separation of church and state.
When a Catholic church, Our Lady of Fatima parish, was completely destroyed by a fire on February 17, the Councilmen, in a resolution drawn up “in the spirit of brotherhood” which was being celebrated during Brotherhood Week, organized a committee of private citizens to raise funds to aid the stricken church. Immediately, the Greater Detroit Evangelical Minister’s Fellowship, an organization of 40 churches, issued a statement opposing the action as a breach of church-state separation.
Meeting on March 5, the Council rescinded the resolution and issued a substitute proposal which merely authorized a campaign among the city’s residents and businessmen. A committee of five–two Jews, two Protestants, and a Catholic–which had been appointed by Oak Park Mayor Richard W. Marshall, was dissolved. It was immediately re-formed at its own request, and will function as a private entity, without official government sponsorship. Our Lady of Fatima, valued at $250,000, was insured for only $136,000.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
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.
