90301060 NEBR HISTORICAL 'SOC fj ST LINCOLN'NE
Vol. LXII No, 30
Kha, iw'j., Fri, fj^rcb 23,1984
create tenser By Boris Staolar Editor-in-chief emeritus, J . T. A. Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc. The ruling of the Supremo Court that cities may include a Nativity scene as part of their official celebration of Christmas — and that this is not a violation of the First Amendment of the Constitution requiring separation of church and state — is opening a Pandora's box in interreligibus relations. It could.lead to the changing of the "Season of Good Will" to a season of tension and conflict. Leading Jewish organizations foresee significant ramifications in the ruling. The 5-4 Supreme Court decision will have important implications for the broad issue of government involvement in religious displays. Jewish leaders have long held that government involvement in the erection and placement of religious symbols constitutes, in effect, governmental support of religion in general, and even specific support of one sect or creed to the exclusion of others. This is a serious impairment of the church-state separation principle -r a wall established by the Founding Fathers and incorporated in the fundamental laws of the country. The Supreme Court ruling, issued in the case of Pawtucket, Rhode. Island, which for years put up a creche in its Christmas display in a public place, with tax funds used to purchase the life-size scene of the birth of Christ, will henceforth bo used in hundreds of cities for displaying creches and for other religious acts which are contrary to the First Amendment. It will create irritation and uneasiness among various sections of the population. It will necessitate increased
, alertness on the part of the Jewish organizations combating bigotry. Such alertness will of necessity become a top priority on the agenda of these organizations. Court cases arising out of municipal Christmas displays have been argued in recent years. The Pawtucket case was one of them. The cities involved have lost in the lower federal courts. This was the case also with Pawtucket where the local branch of the American Civil Liberties Union protested to the court on behalf of a group of local residents. The Federal District Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the plaintiffs. It was the first time that the Supreme Court agreed to rule on the creche issue. In Providence, Rhode Island, a creche is mounted on the steps of City Hall each year by the Knights of Columbus, to which the mayor belongs. Jewish leaders there have never publicly joined in the emotional discussions of this issue because the Jews feared adverse reaction. Other cities in Rhode Island withdrew from displaying creches, awaiting the Supreme Court decision. National Jewish organizations joined with the National Council of Churches of Christ in a "friend-of-the-court" brief opposing gpvernmentally sponsored and funded sectarian displays. One of their arguments was that it was unconstitutional for tax-raised funds to be used to purchase such sectarian displays. The four Supreme Court Justices who dissented in the Pawtucket case termed as "unconstitutional" the inclusion of a Nativity scene by cities as part of their Christmas celebration. They also stressed that Pawtucket's action amounts to "impermissible governmental endorsement of a particular faith."
The 12th ..annual LOVE banquet honoring there'sWents of trie Rose Blumkin Jewish Home will take place April 5 at 6:30 p.m. in the Jewish Community Center. Reservations at $7.50 each may be made by mail to Nancy Pearlman, 11223 Pierce Circle, Omaha, NE 68144, Tel. No. 333-0130.
Singer and entertainer ..SeyrhpurRockoff. iscprepfir.:. ing an original composition for his April I' concert at Beth Israel Synagogue; the chairmen have announced. Proceeds will be used to subsidize camp scholarships. Tickets for adults are $6 and for children under 13 are $2.50. The Musical Caberet Night will include free re-
Members of the Steering committee are Perry and Sonia Ratner, Paui and Susie Shyken, Bob and Myra Oberman. According to the announcement, Mr. Rockoff has a ' national reputation for quality entertainment ' and family oriented programming.
Gary Bender, CBS sports play-by-play announcer, will speak at the B'nai B'rith charity sports stag, April 4 in Peony park Ballroom. According to Jeff Perlmeter, Mr. Bender will join
the group directly from Seattle where he is scheduled to broadcast the NCAA Basketball championship game. Mr. Perimeter also announced that Paul Parr, Daniel J. Gross High School
senior, will be honored at the stag as Metropolitan High School athlete of the year. Tickets are available from B'nai B'rith members or from Mr. Perimeter, 3914505.
freshments. The program
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Carol Katzman, National Council of Jewish Women, Omaha Section, speaks out about the plight of Soviet Jewry during Mayor Boyle's weekly press conference. The Mayor issued a proclamation calling for a week of awareness for Soviet Jews.
NEW YORK A series of proposals aimed at reversing declining Jewish population were released-as part of proceedings of the National Conference on Jewish Population Growth that met in November. '• ,. ,;
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Children from the Jov/iah Day School and the JCC Pro-ochool entertained reoidonta of the Rose Blumkin Jewioh Homo as part of their Purim colebrntion thin week. Other Jowioh youth activitieo included Purim carnivals at.Omaha oynagogueo and theso photoa will be presented in the Jewish Preao Passover icsue nest month.
Attempts to water down the First Amendment are now being made also in-both houses of Congress. A bill to this effect is presently being debated in the Senate. It proposes a constitutional amendment which would reverse a 22-yearold decision of the Supreme Court banning officially sponsored prayer in public schools. The bill proposing this amendment would allow "voluntary vocal prayers" in schools. It is strongly supported by President Reagan who urges its swift passage. There is strong opposition in the Senate to the amendment even among Republicans who otherwise always back Reagan. The Senate debate is therefore expected to last several weeks. Some Republican opponents predict that the debate may continue till June. The amendment needs twothirds of the vote in both houses of Congress. Two bills of the same nature have also been introduced in the House, but indications are that they will not be acted upon until after the Senate vote. Reagan would like the amendment in the Senate passed before the November election. He appeals openly for it in his re-election campaign speeches! He argues that while the amendment seeks to legalize prayer in public schools, it provides that no child shall be forced to participate in the prayer. Other bills now in the Senate would allow private religious groups to use public school facilities during non-instructional periods. One of. them would also bar federal funding for school districts that deny school access to religious groups. The measures have been reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee and await Senate floor action, (continued on page 5)
The conference was co-sponsored by'the American Jewish Committee's William Petschek National Jewish Family Center, in conjunction with 30 national Jewish organizations, and was attended by some 125 leaders and professionals. • In its conclusions, the conference participants called on the Jewish community to reject zero population growth as incompatible with Jewish needs in light of the negative Jewish birth rate, and they, urged that a "pro-natalist" message be communicated to Jews through schools,-synagogues and.communal organizations. Specifically, the participants proposed that Jewish agen-. ciea give mortgage-assistance and allowances to large famr ilies, at the same time appealing to the Jewish.cornmunity to take a lead role in lobbying for restoration of government aid to families in need. . '.'.:':.•'. - The conference cited Jewish day-care centers, corporate fjex time,;, and; paternity leaves as significant support services needed for working paints. ••'• ' ' ' • The participants also recommended that a "morfr aggressive, approach be taken in providing childless couples, with adoptiprtsexyices.'Voiidth'at Jewish singled be educated toward a grtaterre'spQnsibility to the community, with "an aggressive"advocacy of marriage and family as communal
norms. Innovative approaches that might be experimented with, suggested conference members, are the establishment of a "National Jewish Family Week" and an annual award for an outstanding Jewish family of the year. Jewish periodicals, they said, should devote more attention to stories about Jewish families, their needs and achievements. Dr. Robert Gordis, chairman and initiator of the conference, while stating that he did not expect "a radical change in family growth to take place as a result of the conference," added that he did anticipate that some short-term proposals "would help remove economic and social roadblocks that make childbearing and childrearing so difficult in contemporary, society." "The long-term recommendations," he explained, "will hopefully affect a change in attitude about large families." Dr. Steven Bayme, conference coordinator who is assistant director of the AJC's Jewish Communal Affairs Department, noted that ".The conference proceedings set forth an agenda for incorporating the subject of population growth onto the program schedules of individual. Jewish organizations, with on extensive list of strategies and programs to be implemented by schools, synagogues, federations and community centers." Stated Dr. Gordis, "The Jewish family must break its pattern of having only two children if the present generation is to reproduce itself." • »• •