Opposition by Dr. J.D. Dower president of the Edmonton Jewish Community Council, against the introduction of religious instruction in the local public schools has caused the local authorities to turn down a proposal by the Edmonton District Council of Churches for a weekly half-hour of religious instruction in the schools.
After studying a memorandum from Dr. Dower, acting in behalf of the Jewish community, the school authorities expressed “unalterable” opposition to the proposal which would have placed the onus “upon the pupil to leave the room if he does not care to listen” to the religious instruction. This ruling returns the situation to what it was previously: the school day may be started with the reading of a prayer and one day each week may be closed with the reading of a Biblical selection from a compilation provided by the school authorities and drafted by a representative group of ministers.
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.
