An ad hoc committee on church and state has appealed to New Jersey State Senators to reject a bill approved by the Assembly which would require all public school pupils in the state to take part in a daily period of silent prayer. The committee also informed Gov. Richard Hughes of its strong opposition to the measure which it said would violate the First Amendment.
The message was signed by 13 Jewish community councils in New Jersey and three national Jewish community relations councils. It stressed that “while we support and encourage the vitality of religious life in America, we maintain that the place for religious worship is in the home, the church or the synagogue and not in the public school.” It was noted that such a law would create a serious conflict for many public school pupils who, because of pressure from teachers and classmates, might feel obligated to act in violation of their personal beliefs.”
The national Jewish organizations in the committee are the regional groups of the American Jewish Committee, the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith, and the American Jewish Congress. John Kaufman is chairman of the ad hoc unit and Meyer Fine is secretary. In a separate statement, Robert Stivler, American Jewish Congress regional director, said the proposed legislation would “amount to nothing more than hypocrisy” and would do nothing “to strengthen the vitality of religion.”
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.
