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Attacks on Public Education: How Jews See It

Rabbi leads clergy group in opposition to religious renaming of Bakersfield, Calif. school breaks

Conversation with Rabbi Cheryl Rosenstein

Leader of Congregation Beth El in Bakersfield, California leads opposition to renaming winter and spring breaks to Christmas and Easter

JewsOnFirst.org, December 25, 2006

Rabbi Cheryl Rosenstein of Congregation Beth El, Bakersfield, discusses how she organized a rapid response to the Kern County School District's unexpected move to change Winter Break to Christmas Break -- just in time for the 2006-2007 winter break -- and Spring Break to Easter Break. She says that getting the board to reverse itself will take a broad community effort. Click here to listen to the recorded interview.

In October 2007, the Kern County School District voted 4-1 to place posters with the slogan "In God we trust" in every classroom. Click here.

Bakersfield school holiday renaming: dialogue commences

January, 2007

After leading the opposition to Kern High School District's sudden renaming of winter and spring breaks,Rabbi Cheryl Rosenstein opened a dialogue with Joel Heinrichs, a member of the board of the district, which serves Bakersfield California and the surrounding area. We are publishing some of that exchange. Click here.

Jesus returns -- to Bakersfield district's school calendar

Steve Chawkins, Los Angeles Times, December 25, 2006

After an absence of nearly 20 years, Christmas is back on the calendar at high schools throughout Bakersfield and surrounding communities.

At a contentious meeting Thursday, board members of one of the largest secondary-school districts in the state voted to change "winter recess" to "Christmas recess" and "spring recess" to "Easter recess." Continue

Trustee seeks vote on naming holiday breaks

Lisa Schencker, Bakersfield Californian, December 19, 2006

More than 30,000 Kern High School District students might soon go on Christmas break if two trustees have their way Thursday.

Trustees are scheduled to vote during a special meeting on whether to change the names of winter and spring breaks to Christmas and Easter breaks.

Trustee Chad Vegas [pictured here], who asked the board Dec. 6 to vote on the issue at Thursday's meeting, wants trustees to change the breaks' names.

"We're just trying to uphold American cultural and religious history," said Vegas, who is also pastor and founder of Sovereign Grace Church. "It's real simple, not a big deal." Continue

Religious leaders chime in

The "schooled" blog, a staff blog of the Bakersfield Californian, December 20, 2006

In today's story KHSD trustees Chad Vegas and Ken Mettler say they think the district should change the names of winter and spring breaks to Christmas and Easter breaks.

"We're just trying to uphold American cultural and religious history," said Vegas, who is also pastor and founder of Sovereign Grace Church. "It's real simple, not a big deal."

"I think it just makes the calendar accurate and reflective," Mettler said. "The minority cannot censor the majority, but also the majority has a responsibility to be fair to everyone."

It just came to my attention that some local religious leaders have something to say about it, too. The following is a letter some religious leaders are submitting to the board for their consideration before they vote on the name change Thursday: Continue.

Editorial: Bakersfield gets religion

School officials decide to call winter and spring breaks Christmas and Easter recesses.

Los Angeles Times, December 26, 2006

Don't the Bakersfield schools have something better to do than foment public debate about whether this couple of weeks should be called "winter recess" or "Christmas recess?" Why yes, they do. Rather than pushing a religious agenda, the school board should be worrying about the district's lackluster test scores. Continue

"Intelligent design"

For Philly lawyer, landmark win was a case of 'intelligent design'

Chanan Tigay, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, December 27, 2005

JTA profiles attorney Eric Rothschild, the co-lead counsel representing Dover, Pennsylvania area parents who sued to reverse a religiously motivated decision to teach "intelligent design" in school district science courses. Rothschild, who volunteered to work on this case, told JTA: "I do think that I'm probably particularly sensitive to intrusions on this constitutional right because of being part of a minority religion.... "I think the Jewish religion, Jewish practice, has thrived and felt a sense of security in this country because we really do have such a good structure for protecting religious freedom." Click here to read the report on the JTA site.

Banning of 'intelligent design' more significant than 'Christmas wars'

By Chanan Tigay, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, December 20, 2005

The reporter surveys a range of Jewish opinion on the decision in the Dover, Pennsylvania "intelligent design" case. The title is a bit misleading, as few of those interviewed opine on the comparison. To read the report on the JTA website, click here.

Jews Say 'Feh' to Darwin

The Orthodox Jewish community clashes over intelligent design.

By Mariah Blake, Miami New Times, via Alternet, posted January 4, 2006

A few Orthodox Jewish leaders are embracing "intelligent design" and several of them proclaimed their positions in December 2005 at the Miami International Conference on Torah and Science. Featured at the conference was William Dembski, a leading proponent of "intelligent design."

"Nathan Katz, who heads the Center for the Study of Spirituality at FIU and was one of the conference organizers, says the enthusiasm some Torah devotees express for intelligent design reflects a growing alliance between traditional Jews and evangelical Christians. The two groups have found themselves on the same side of many culture war battles. And evangelicals have funneled tens of millions of dollars into Israel. 'The monstrous evangelical support for that country has led some Orthodox Jews to be willing to listen to evangelicals on other issues,' Katz explains." Click here to read the report.

Resisting a fundamentalist Protestant Bible Text

For more on this topic, please see Bible study "history" and "literature" courses.

ADL Says Bible Teaching Guide for Public Schools 'Unacceptable'

Anti-Defamation League News Release, November 7, 2005

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) criticized a new curriculum for teaching the Bible in public schools, saying it "advocates the acceptance of one faith tradition's interpretation of the Bible over another." Click here to read the news release.

Bible Guide For Public Schools Gets Jewish Okay

By Jennifer Siegel, Forward, December 30, 2005

"In an effort to neutralize the growing popularity of a right-wing Bible textbook for public schools, two major Jewish organizations are backing an alternative study guide. But some liberal watchdogs warn that the alternative textbook also could lead teachers to violate the separation of church and state." Click here to read the report on the Forward's site.

School vouchers

Group Focuses on Education

Jennifer Siegel, Forward, December 8, 2006

An influential ultra-Orthodox organization is putting new muscle behind efforts to shape education policy at the state level.

Agudath Israel of America, a New-York based advocacy group for ultra-Orthodox Jews, has recently created a new position, national director of government affairs. The new job is intended to create better coordination among the group’s 28 national affiliates, as a number of states prepare to consider voucher programs that benefit Orthodox day schools. Continue.