Expert Testimony of Solomon Grayzel

In Schempp v. School District of Abington Township, Dr. Solomon Grayzel testified that the “Bible” being read in Abington’s schools was not a neutral text across faiths, emphasizing key differences between Jewish scripture and the Christian Bible—most notably the inclusion of the New Testament, which Judaism does not accept. He explained that certain New Testament passages and Christian claims (e.g., Jesus as the Son of God) are contrary to Jewish belief and could be experienced by Jewish students as religiously offensive when presented in a school devotional exercise.  That testimony became part of the factual record in the three-judge federal district court proceedings (reported at 177 F. Supp. 398), and after the district court ruled the practice unconstitutional, the case went up on direct appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.  In its 1963 decision, the Supreme Court explicitly summarized Grayzel’s testimony in the case’s factual background as it evaluated whether the school-sponsored reading was a religious exercise incompatible with required governmental neutrality toward religion.