Newspaper Page Text
Friday, May U, 1*4
THE I0UI1IIN 1IIAILITI
Abram Reelected
American Jewish Committee Suggests
Comparative Religion in High Schools
gut with huge uniknatod functa and
a generous supply of all Unda at
mans media reaourcee.” At the
same lime, however, be pointed out
that the Argentine Government has
taken strong meaauree against Tac-
uara, the underpound neo-Nad fas
cist group winch la working Joint
ly with the Arab League in '‘spread
ing hate and creating a> much (tt-
visiveneaa among the Argentine peo
ple”
1
NEW YORK iJTA)—The fiveday
annual meeting of the American
Committee concluded here Sunday
with a proposal by Morris B. Abram,
who waa reelected president of the
organization, to tnatibie tewrhing of
courses in comparative religion in
the 25,000 public hi£i schools in the
United States.
“While the American Jewish Com
mittee remained opposed to religi
ous observances in public schools, it
has long ago adopted a policy of
recounting the educational value of
beaching about the major religions,
their history and tradition in the
country,'' Mr. Abram told the 1,100
delegates at the concluding sea
son.
Mr. Abram’s program was set
forth in the context of the current
controversy over religious observ
ance in die public school system.
Central to Mr. Abram’s proposal on
teaching courses in comparative re
ligions was that the public school
would present “comes in religion
solely bom the historic and literary
perspective.” He stressed that the
“courses were not religious in the
sense of observance or ritual, but
were to be designed as strictly edu
cational curricula.” The courses
would be offered as electives to
high school seniors.
In describing the design of these
courses, Mr. Abram said the na
tional educational program on re
ligion would be “prepared by ob
jective and knowledgeable educa
tors.” He added that “religious
scholars could then be involved in
a consultative capacity,” but stress
ed that “organized religious denom
inations a6 such would not parti
cipate in the preparation of
apate in the preparation of the
coursea.”
Mr. Abram said that the Com
mittee had developed this proposal
to deal with the "many books which
existed in the way of objective ed
ucation about rebglon." He said
that “few higi school teachers are
adequately trained to teach a course
about religions.” Further, he said,
“there is a lack of suitable teach
ing materials for classroom use.”
As part of the proposal Mr. Abram
pointed out that only expert scholars
and lecturers would be capable of
compiling and developing the course.
Therefore, “a film series prepared
under their direction could be cir
culated throu^uut the country was
the ideal means of malting this spec
ialized knowledge available to the
local classroom," he said.
Distorted Statements on Jews
Found in Catholic Textbooks
Mr. Abram also made pibiic the
results of a three-year study at St.
Louis University analyzing the con
tent of Catholic religion textbooks
most widely used in parochial school
systems throughout the United
States. The study shows that neg
ative and distorted statements are
to be ftnmd there in the textbooks
when referring to Jews and Other
non-Oatbolic religious groups. The
St. Louis University is a Jesuit in
stitution.
The study idso offers concrete
suggestions for avoiding distortions
in Catholic teachings about Protes
tants and Jews, and concludes that
recently published materials are
more constructive in their approach
to intergroup themes than the older
textbooks. The study was carried
out by Sister Rose Albert Thering.
Mr. Abram pointed out that the
American Jewish Committee also
stimulated the seven-year self-rtudy
of Protestant materials, which was
completed at Yale University Di
vinity School and publidwd last year.
A Jewish seif-study has been com
pleted at Dropsio College for He
brew and Cognate Learning and its
finds wtU soon be made public.
The St. Louis Study reveals that
religious textbooks mention
other groups to a substantial de
gree. Sixty-five volumes were an
alyzed, comprising seven basic re
ligion series; two church histories;
one guidance series; foir supple
mentary voharws; and the man
uals of teacher’s guidebooks accom
panying them For purposes of an
alysis, these were broken down into
2,790 lesson units.
The study revealed that of all
groups mentioned in the textbooks,
Jews are by far the most conspic
uous. References to Jews and Ju
daism ranged foom one-quarter to
more than one-half of the basic text
book series. Protestants were the
second most visible group mentioned
in the textbookB. The study indi
cates that negative comments re
garding Protestants and Jews tend
to concentrate around certain
themes, partiadariy those dealing
with historic conflicts.
For Jews, negative references
tended to concentrate around the
following themes; 1. The Jewish re
jection of Christianity 2. The Cru
cifixion; 3. The Pharisees. Positive
references to Jews abound in com
ments associatad with the Old Test
ament heritage of Judaism, which
is also the heritage of the Roman
Catholic Church. For example, on
religious text states: “Catholics
of the world, regard ess of then-
nationality, are aM spiritually Sem
ites, we are all children of Israel.”
The St. Louis study offers rec
ommendations for avoiding distor
tions and bias in teachings about
Protestants and Jews. It cautions
against generalizations, overampli-
ficatione and overall jud&nents of
an entire group.
One of the sessions of the Amer
ican Jewish Committee’s annual
Ekvope during the past year. Mr.
Shuster, who is in this country cur
rently in connection with the annual
meeting, repotted that neo-Nazi
groups are renewing "notorious anti-
Semitic themes as part of then-
propaganda assaults on the Ecumen
ical Council which is scheduled to
reopen its sessions in September
1964.”
The puhtooatioo network of Euro
pean extremist grotps which has
made significant gains in the past
year, Mr. Shuster said, means that
“praaticafiy every country in Eur
ope has at least one anti-Semitic
Plication appearing regularly”
These publications have a hard oore
of readers and support those who
seek vigirouBly to influence others
with anti-democratic and anti-Jew
Mb propaganda.
Abraham Monk, director of the
Committee’s Latin American office,
drew particular attention to what
he called “a massive campaign of
hatred conducted by the Arab Lea-
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meeting was devoted to reports on
the anti-Jewish activities abroad,
based on material provided by the
Committee’s overseas offices. Ralph
Friedman, chairman of the executive
board, reported that an extensive
antiJewish campaign is “being
waged with greatly increased in
tensity’’ by Arab propagandists,
rigg-wtng extremists and neo-Nazi
groups, often operating Jointly, in
South America and Europe. He de
clared that three chief developments,
in Arab and neo-Nazi agitation are
cause for serious concern. These
developments are:
1. A h&tly accelerated campaign
by Arab Le^ue offices and person
nel in South America backed by
“inlimited funds and carried out
with top level propaganda skill,"
which is fomenting a massive cam
paign of hatred not only against
Israel but also of a general anti-
Semitic character.
2. Efforts by European neo-Nazi
and extreme r&k-wing groups to
renew notorious anti-Semitic themes,
particularly in relation to the forth
coming third session of the Bumen-
ioal Council in Rome. Arab propa
gandists are intensifying their ac
tivities in Europe, particularly West
Germany
3. The growth of an “anti-Semitic
publication network” which has
made significant gains during the
past years with the appearance of
new neo-Nazi anti-Semitic publica
tions in Western Germany, France
and Spain.
Mr. Friedman cited data and re
ports provided by Zachariah Shus
ter, director of the Committee’s Eu
ropean office, which has conducted
a study of neoNazi activities in
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