Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2003 | 9:11 a.m.
The state Board of Education was "insensitive" in scheduling its board meeting for Saturday during the high holy Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah, which begins at sundown Friday, Jewish leaders and others say.
"It absolutely is insensitive -- first to hold a public meeting on Saturday, which is our Sabbath and then add insult to injury by holding it on Rosh Hashanah," Rabbi Mel Hecht of Temple Beth Am in Las Vegas said.
Ed Gobel, president of the Council of Nevada Veterans Organizations, protested the scheduling of the meeting, which included a workshop about giving high school diplomas to war veterans, on Saturday at the Department of Education Conference Room, 1820 East Sahara, Suite 205.
"What is the state Board of Education teaching by holding the meeting on the holiest of holy days of the Jewish faith?" said Gobel, who is Jewish and the southwestern regional director of the Chapel of the Four Chaplains.
"The board would never think of holding a public workshop on Christmas Day or Easter Sunday."
The Board of Education, in response to Gobel's concerns, rescheduled the workshop to Oct. 25 in Carson City, with teleconferencing to Las Vegas.
The rest of Saturday's agenda -- the second day of the two-day meeting -- still will be held in Las Vegas on the Jewish holiday that celebrates the birth of the world and promotes the evaluation of relationships.
The compromise does not satisfy veterans officials and Jewish leaders.
"The board's attitude in scheduling the meeting for Rosh Hashanah fosters a belief that our Constitution guarantees freedom from religion instead of freedom of religion," said Linda West Myers, assistant Nevada chaplain for the Chapel of the Four Chaplains, who also is Jewish.
State education officials said they did not intend to be insensitive by scheduling the matter for the Jewish holiday.
State Schools Superintendent Jack McLaughlin said Board of Education meetings are scheduled a year in advance and those who did the scheduling apparently were not aware that the meeting was set for the Jewish holiday. Board of Education meetings are held about every five weeks on Fridays and Saturdays.
Rabbi Hecht said lists of significant holy days of many religions are available through the National Conference for Community Justice to prevent organizations from making the mistake of scheduling public meetings on such occasions.
Rosh Hashanah is not one of 11 legally recognized holidays, but McLaughlin said because of the concerns raised by the veterans group the board changed the date of the workshop.
The workshop will be used to discuss regulations to put into effect a new law that allows veterans of World War II and the Korean and Vietnam wars to automatically receive a general educational development diploma.
Edward Goldman, superintendent of the Southeast Region of the Clark County School District, said he too opposes the meeting being held on Rosh Hashanah, but understands that mistakes in scheduling can be made.
"Jewish holidays do not always fall on the same day each year, and I have people ask me about them all of the time," said Goldman, who is Jewish. "In fairness, I do not know every Muslim holiday and holidays of other religions."
Goldman said the Clark County School District does take sensitivities into account, scheduling school board meetings around high holy days and, when necessary, moving events like football games from Fridays to other days.
This week's slate of varsity football games in Southern Nevada were scheduled before the start of the season for Thursday.
State Board of Education member Theresa Malone said her reaction to learning that the date that initially was set for the workshop was a Jewish holiday was one of surprise.
"I thought, 'Oh my heavens, it was not done intentionally,' " she said. "I am glad we are moving the item, but it's too bad the whole meeting can't be moved to another date."
Religious issues aside, the workshop item also is controversial.
Gobel's group opposed the measure that would award diplomas to veterans of the three wars who dropped out of school. He said it cheapens the honor and "is a slap in the face of every veteran who returned to school and earned their diplomas.
"A free education through the GI bill is one thing, but a free diploma is another," he said.
Supporters of the measure say war veterans left school to serve their country and, based on their life experiences in the years that followed, earned the sheepskin. The Nevada law is based on similar laws in other states.
The workshop is required to develop and adopt the language of the regulations and establish the process to enable war veterans to receive diplomas.
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