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June
27, 2002
Union of Orthodox Jewish
Congregation Hails Supreme Court Decision Upholding School Vouchers
Today, the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America – the
nation’s largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization representing nearly
1,000 synagogues, hailed this morning’s decision by the United States
Supreme Court which declared the City of Cleveland’s school voucher
program constitutional.
In reaction to the landmark
decision, the Union issued the following statements:
Harvey Blitz, president of the
UOJCA stated:
The Orthodox Union and its
constituency are thrilled with this court decision. We are proud of the
role we have played in the school choice movement over the last four
decades. Today, the scores of “friend of the court” briefs and other
activities in support of placing educational decisions in the hands of
parents have paid off. We look forward to working with all who support
educational excellence, religious liberty and parental empowerment to
craft and implement school voucher programs throughout the nation.
Nathan Diament, the UOJCA’s director of public policy stated:
Today the Supreme Court has again championed the
principle that the Constitution demands neutrality toward religious, not
hostility. As critical and encouraging as this decision might be, no one
should be under the impression that the fight for religious liberty and
equality is over. It is appropriate that today’s ruling comes on the
heels of yesterday’s federal appeals court decision declaring the Pledge
of Allegiance an unconstitutional establishment of religion. The logic
upon which that decision was based is the identical logic subscribed to by
voucher opponents and the four justices who dissented from today’s
decision. They believe the public square must be sanitized from all
things religious. They are wrong, and today a majority of the Supreme
Court properly said so.
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