Secretary of Montreal Jewish School Commission Defends It

over 30 years, and it was so affected by the situation arising out of the adoption of the Jewish School Act that it was driven to announce some weeks ago that it intended to abrogate that portion of the Act which gave our Commission the right to establish Jewish schools. Its excuse was the fact that it had been given to understand that the Jews had come to an agreement with the Protestant Board. This is a brief statement of the real situation. The truth is that separate Jewish schools were never possible at any stage since the passing of the Act and it is quite naive, to say the least, for anyone to bemoan the fact that the Commission did not decide upon separate Jewish schools.

MAJORITY DOESN’T WANT SEPARATION

5. “It would seem from your article that practically the entire Jewish community of this city is anxious for separate schools. Let me assure you that this is contrary to the actual facts. Fully 95% of this community will welcome with relief and satisfaction the agreement with the Protestant Board. The vast majority believes that it is in the interests of the Jewish community that there should be no separate schools and is definitely opposed to their establishment.

“I call upon you to publish this letter in the next issue of your Bulletin so that your readers may have an un-garbled statement of the true situation in respect to our school question. It seems to me that too many are prone to toy with such words as ‘assimilationists’ or ‘sold our rights for a mess of pottage.’ The practice is a reprehensible one and should be stopped.

“Yours truly,

“NATHAN GORDON, Hon. Secretary Jewish School Commission.”