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September 19, 2005
Union
of Orthodox Jewish Congregations
Decries Sen. Kennedy's Call for
Discrimination Against Religious Families in
Katrina Aid
Today, the
Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America - the nation's
largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization, strongly
criticized Senator Ted Kennedy (D-Ma) for his statement of
opposition to plans announced by the Bush Administration on
Friday to aid all families with schoolchildren - including those
who choose parochial schools –
displaced by Katrina educate their children.
Along with announcing a plan to provide public schools taking in
Katrina-displaced students with federal support in the amount of
90% of the school district's per-pupil expenditure - up to
$7500/child, US Education Secretary Spellings' office also
announced that the Bush Administration will seek $488 million to
provide a similar level of aid to the families (or schools) of
the 65,000 children from Louisiana and elsewhere who had
attended nonpublic schools there. Sen. Kennedy, along with the
head of the National Educ. Association, stated his opposition to
the proposed aid for non-public school children on the grounds
that he views it as a "voucher" program.
The Orthodox Union's director of public policy, Nathan Diament,
issued the following statement:
The Orthodox Jewish community is, frankly, offended by Senator
Kennedy's call for, what amounts to, religious discrimination in
the wake of Katrina.
Katrina's devastation did not discriminate in displacing people
of all faiths, races and classes in the affected area. The
government's aid in response should not discriminate either.
In the Jewish community,
scores of Jewish parochial schools throughout the nation have
taken in children displaced by Katrina with open arms; in most,
if not all cases, these schools have waived tuition for the
displaced. We understand the Catholic and other parochial school
communities have done the same. There is no justification for
withholding federal support for these schools to provide the
displaced children with the type of education their parents wish
for them. To say only those who attend public schools will be
subsidized by the relief effort is to place a burden on the
religious communities and these families which is unjust, if not
unconstitutional.
We are open to whatever
mechanism for delivering this aid is most efficient and suitable
- whether a direct grant, tax credit or voucher. The focus of
the government's relief efforts should be upon making the
displaced children and families as whole as possible; it must
not be a forum for tired and divisive partisan politics. We hope
all people of good will reject Sen. Kennedy's view and support
equitable relief proposals for all displaced children.
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