AJC Joins First Freedom First, Championing Church-State Separation
December 7, 2006 - New York - The American Jewish Committee has joined First Freedom First, a campaign to heighten public awareness of the dangers facing church-state separation in America. Spearheaded by a grass roots petition drive, the campaign seeks to counter attacks on the wall separating church and state and mobilize Americans from all walks of life in defense of that concept and the core freedoms it protects. "Joining First Freedom First is another important step AJC is taking in its historic effort to enshrine church-state separation as a guiding American principal," said Jeffery Sinensky, AJC's general counsel. First Freedom First's petition can be signed at www.ajc.org. In addition, the First Freedom First project also will call on elected and appointed officials to join with AJC in reaffirming America's legacy of religious freedom. As AJC and First Freedom First work together to combat religious discrimination, oppose the funneling of tax dollars to religious organizations discriminating in hiring in government subsidized programs, support the rights of individuals in matters of family life and reproductive choice and ensure that public education does not promote religious preferences or beliefs, they protect the rights of all Americans regardless of faith. "By demonstrating that there is broad-based support among the general public to stand up for the cause of religious rights and individual freedom in our society, AJC and First Freedom First are establishing a new front in the battle to preserve the concept of pluralism and declare our support of secular principles of government - 'for democracy not theocracy,'" said Sinensky. AJC joins a distinguished group of organizations, including Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the Interfaith Alliance Foundation, as partners of First Freedom First. For more information, visit the First Freedom First website, www.firstfreedomfirst.org.
Ari M. Gordon Department of Interreligious Affairs American Jewish Committee 165 E56th St. New York, NY 10022 (212) 751-4000 x266 www.ajc.org www.engagingamerica.org