Union
of Orthodox Jewish Congregations Applauds Administration's Latest
Policy to have Federal Policies Treat
Religious Institutions Fairly; Historic
Houses of Worship can get Funds for
Secular Preservation
Today, the
Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America applauded the
decision announced yesterday by the U.S. Department of the
Interior to award a $317,000 federal grant under the Save
America’s Historic Treasures program to the Old North Foundation
to help preserve Boston’s Old North Church. (The funds
will be used to repair the windows of the 280-year-old church,
made famous from their role in Paul Revere’s ride to alert
colonists of the British troop advances toward Lexington and
Concord.)
The decision by Interior Secretary Gale Norton is the latest in a
series of steps that seek to implement President Bush’s directive
that federal programs must not discriminate against religious
individuals or institutions in otherwise religion-neutral
programs. Previous to yesterday’s announcement, historic
churches, synagogues or other houses of worship were
inappropriately excluded from receiving preservation grants – even
for religiously neutral purposes – simply because they were
religious institutions. Save America’s Treasures was established
in 1998 as a public-private partnership between the Interior
Department’s National Park Service and the National Trust for
Historic Preservation. The competitive, religion-neutral, grants
process is designed to ensure America’s important architectural
treasures are preserved for generations to come. A recent study
by the National Trust found that the average historic congregation
faces up to $2 million of repair costs.
Nathan J.
Diament, the Union’s director of public policy, issued the
following statement in connection with the policy announcement:
The Union of
Orthodox Jewish Congregations is very grateful for the decision by
the Bush Administration, announced yesterday by Secretary Norton,
to remove yet another instance of religious discrimination from
federal policy. Historically landmarked housed of worship are a
treasure for all Americans, but for too long the small communities
associated with some of these treasures have had to bear the cost
of preserving them alone, with no assistance from the government –
simply because of their religious character. This new policy is
the right one as it recognizes that historic preservation serves
all Americans of all faiths and that faith institutions must be
treated fairly and equally.
###
