The United Nations today took what some delegates called “a giant step” toward a move which would forbid the type of religious discrimination practiced in the Soviet Union, where Jewish religious education is forbidden.
The move took the form of a resolution adopted by eleven votes–with the Soviet Union abstaining–in the Subcommission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities. The subcommission consists of 12 members. With all but the Russian delegate voting in favor of the measure, the resolution endorsed a proposed international Convention Against Discrimination in Education which, among other things, would pledge all signatories to:
1. Establish and maintain “separate educational systems for religious or linguistic reasons, or institutions offering an education which is in keeping with the wishes of the pupil’s parents or legal guardians.”
2. Recognize the right of members of national minorities “to carry on their own educational activities, including the maintenance of schools.”
Under the Soviet constitution, the Jews are recognized as a national minority. The international treaty would become effective within three months after at least three countries have ratified it.
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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.
