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June 20, 2003/Sivan 20 5763, Vol. 55, No. 43
JCRC event tackles church, state
BARRY COHEN
Editor
The separation between church and state in public schools continues to be broken down by a conservative U.S. Supreme court, noted the keynote speaker at the annual event of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix.
Through the Supreme Court's rulings, the separation - once described as "a wall" by Thomas Jefferson - "is a tiny fence now that could be easily stepped over," said Alice Finn Gertell, general counsel of the Arizona Education Association, to the approximately 80 in attendance June 12 at the Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus in Scottsdale.
The court has allowed schools to set up "limited public forums" on school property when school is not in session, said Gartell. The content of the activities in these forums is protected and cannot be discriminated against. As a result, such religious groups as fundamentalist Bible clubs are free to meet on school property, she noted.
Moreover, these religious clubs are allowed to advertise on school grounds and through flyers sent home with children, she explained.
The fight to maintain the separation of church and state in public schools no longer concerns individuals reciting prayers, said Gartell.
"The real issue is government-led, government-sponsored, government-promoted ... religious activities," she explained.
The event also featured awards given to Ruth Finn, mother of the keynote speaker, and Helen Kriegsfeld, for their years of service to the Jewish community.
"There's a group, as we all know, that really would like to make this a Christian country in the worst sense of the word," said Finn, 1995-2002 chairwoman of the JCRC's Joint Task Force of Religion in the Public Schools. Constitutional rights must be protected to oppose efforts to use schools to teach fundamentalist Christianity, she added.
At the event, executive board members, general board members and affiliate board members were approved.
"You always have to be a watch guard of your rights in a society ... in which individual rights are supposed to be the pinnacle," said George Weisz, JCRC executive board member, at the reception after the end of the event. "This is something that affects your children," who are vulnerable to fundamentalist religious activities taking place on school grounds, "that could go against what their own families are (religiously) teaching them," he said.
Also at the event, Cathy Wolf, JCRC executive director, announced a mission to Israel, Nov. 15-23, planned in conjunction with the United Jewish Communities General Assembly. Openings for the mission are still available. Contact Robin Loeb, 480-634-4900, ext. 1111.
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