Originally posted by Don Cardi: Now the question is, if these holidays are not supposed to be recognized by the public school system, than why is it, in the begining of the school year, a letter is sent home with the public school children, by the public school system anouncing that the public schools will be closed in observance of YOM KIPPER and RUSHASHANNA!!! Where is the speration of church and state here?
The school closings for those two holidays is more of an economic decision than anything else. The New York City school system has a very sizable Jewish population (both student and teacher) and the fact that this percentage would be absent for those holidays is the determining factor in closing the schools.
I suspect the public schools in, lets say, Wyoming, wouldn't be closed on those days (for the same reason - the percentage of Jewish students is probably very low).
