Jewish Community Relations Council, Boston, Massachusetts

              Tensions
ONE CMP THE sanest voices that cornea
to us in the field of inter-group relations is very often that of Rabbi /\rthur
Gilbert of the Anti-Defamation Leeague.
Recently we received" a copy of a speech
delivered by the Raboi in Detroit at a
Church-State seminar and it seemed to
us especially impressive.
Rabbi Gilbert expressed the view
that the present negative and legalistic
approach to the role of "eligior. in American life was creating new tensions rather
thon '.asing those already existing Tins
is an extreme!v good point. Thai fact is
>..«'. SiMttf pt-opit who themselv**- have
ve-r*- «rtro«K *^H|dous <-!wrotii'">t>K find
U-irrr.JKjJves taking positions that seem
anti-religious on the school question, or
the Christmas creche, or released time,
a posture that does not in fact reflect
their personal religious concerns. Aa a
result, these who take the opposite 'josi-
tion then denounce their etforta as one
more concession to secularism, to the
decline in spiritual values and moral
strength.
This situation ia a familiar one and,
although Rabbi Gilbert applied it to his
own people. Catholics can recogni7*e it in
their own history. Thus, for example, a
* generation and more ago when the American public school was essentially and in
fact a Protpstjuit s<*liool, Catholics protested against, the religious flavor of these
schools which they considered offensive
to tho religious commitments of their
children. They managed in fact to sec-
ulariZA the schools and remove religion
from education. .Surely this was against
their own hask principlea. but the social
■itu:. tion forced them into it. To -ompen-
s.i." in s.ime measure Catholics then built
t*wn own parochial schools, bu; even
now,   despite   considerable   efforts,   the
public schools remain largely seeuletr In
climate.
The present attitude against re-
lea*.^ time in some portions of the community ha* -loi'iething of the same effect.
Unless they get religious training - some
religious training -- m released time
classes many children in our country
will g.'t none at al). Those then who
oppose it, put themselves in the unha.ipy
posture of seeming to support secularism
or evot* anti-religion. To be sure, then*
are not to motivated .is Catholics were
not so motivated i< gt-.-er^'ion igo    but
th.,   (.-..i.r.elU.;'.,,    itJii'P-se-i-.-.    K'iii   ;:.oi.-     .'.
Kem so.
What to do about ail of this? Perhaps the Catholics in times passed should
have sought not to remove religion but
to give it a wider representation by including religion for Catholics and others
as w<*l] as Protestants. If this had been
possible the secularist nature <~>f much
public school eduoation. where it exists,
might have been eliminated. For the Jews
in our time, the same kind of choice must
be made. Instead of removing released
time, since it is Constitutional, an effort
to understand through friendly communication the total community picture will
ease tensions all around. Something like
this Rabbi Gilbert wisely suggests.
We have always maintained, in these!
column.*'  and  elsewhere,  that  the  social |
factors    in    community    relations    were j
vastly  more irritating  than   the  theological   ones.   No  one   has  t-ver   said   thru1
pluralism was eoso to live bv; it has very
special problems of its owr.. Rut we must
be   prcjiaved   to   f«<<*   :hem   boldly   ...id
wisely. The irer.ic suggestions of Rabbi;
Gilbert, however, can be a  helpful ^*nde'
for ai! of us.
P.LPT
t)£C.    I'(