Both Newsweek’s Anna Quindlen and The New York Times drew special attention this week to an issue that’s been scarcely raised in this flag-pin-centric run-up to the election but is arguably of greater urgency than the very urgent need to end the war in Iraq: the future makeup of the Supreme Court.

As Quindlen notes, "[T]he work of the high court has had vast systemic influence over the lives of all Americans, an effect that lasts through generations."

On Tuesday, the Rabbinical Council of America issued a statement taking issue with — blasting, actually — a decision by Israel’s Rabbinic Court of Appeals endangering hundreds (possibly even thousands) of conversions performed by the Israeli Conversion Authority, headed by Rabbi Chaim Druckman. (See page 34.)

The founding of the State of Israel was, for Jews who witnessed it (even from afar), the most momentous event in their lifetimes. Not only did it restore the Jewish homeland, it created a new image of the Jew — who had been maligned and reviled across the globe and over centuries. We here, in the United States, joined in joy with the new Israelis, and did all we could to help. Some went there and fought in the War of Independence. Some smuggled arms to the fighters. Others collected pennies and dollars in "blue boxes" and bought Israel bonds. Some used any political clout available. Everybody prayed.

The days of school-mandated prayer are over — at least for now — but as we have seen recently in East Brunswick and Kearny, there are still cases of school officials impressing their religious views upon their students.

We applaud Matthew LaClair for standing up to his teacher and the Kearny School District last year when he was faced with a blatant violation of the separation of church and state (see story, page 10). Although LaClair is not Jewish, he stood up for an issue of great importance to the Jewish community.