Evening star., 1962-01-13

welcomed this breakdown of
religious intolerance.
For any religious group,
whether Protestant, Catholic
or Jewish, to protest and de-
Stroy such a recognition of
God in our schools is so do
ing in selfish ignorance and
a sad misconception of the
meaning of religious living.
Norma Truban.
x = 4 X
I read with great interest
that THE Jewish Community
Council of Greater Washing
ton has asked Washington
area school boards to prohib-
it religious observanceS and
practices in the public
schools" AS far back as my
memory takes me, and that
is a long, long way, there
has always been a prayer at
the schools opening each
morning. Also Christmas and
Easter plays and parties.
Surely listening to the
Lords Prayer can really do
no harm to any child of
whatever race or creed. Only
through Christian tolerance
did the American Jew gain
his freedom of worship, his
prosperity. his daily bread"
here.
Surely the Jews have the
privilege of building their own
schools. if they are not happy
with old Christian customs.
Mrs. E. S. Ransom.
4 4 4 4
The effort of the Jewish
Community Council of Great
er Washington to prohibit
religious observances and
practices in the public schools
is an attack on a long estab-
lished American institution
and must not be tolerated.
Why is it that these prac-
ticeS, which have been an
accepted way of life for so
long are now coming under
attack more and more?
Which groups in this coun-
try have the most to gain
from such attacks on our
way of life? We have had
minority groups in the pub
lie schools for many years
and yet these obServances
were held without any ap-
parent i'll affects on those
students.
Taking God out of the pub
lie schools entirely can only
result in the average student
feeling that perhaps God isn't
so important after all-par-
ticularly for those that are
receiving no religious train
ing at home or in church.
Mrs. Robert ]. Kirwan.
X 4
What would the Jews do
if they were a majority, in
stead of a minority in the
public school system? Would
their spirit be as democratic
as it seems now, in trying
to remove the last remnant
Of religion from our free
schools? I think not. They,
as well as any strong re-
ligiouS group would enforce,
either directly or indirectly,
their holidays, etc, and not
be worried a bit about de-
mocracy.
Josephine Carter.
\ * 4
The Jewish Community
Council of Greater Washing
ton is said to represent 1T
Jewish organizations; but
just how many individuals do
they represent with this
view? I think very few.
I have many Jewish friends
and this is not their opin-
ion. The fundamental be-
lief in God is the basis of
all our freedoms. We want
our children to have this
precious heritage which so
few children enjoy in the
world today.
Mary MetZger.
+ X x
Religious differences still
divide the peoples of the
West. This is a luxury we
no longer can afford in the
face of the common threat
from atheistic communism.
Sprung from a common
source, it is high time the
three great Western faiths
j u d a ism, Professionalism,
Catholicism - take definitive
and positive steps to obviate
the differences and fashion a
strong, common front against
the immediate enemy: athe-
istic communism. Time is of
the essence. To procrasti-
nate could mean annihila-
ton for all. Are dogma and
ritual-all man-made-more
dear than faith and survival?