Rabbi Steve Silverman speaks to members of the Senate Education Policy Committee in opposition of a bill mandating the display of the Ten Commandments in public schools at the Alabama State House on March 5, 2025. Silverman said he opposed the legislation because it does not accurately represent the Hebrew-derived text. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector)
A bill that would require Alabama’s public schools — including colleges and universities — to display the Ten Commandments drew supporters and opponents to the Senate Education Policy Committee on Wednesday.
SB 166, sponsored by Sen. Keith Kelley, R-Anniston, would require a text of the Ten Commandments to be displayed in a common area of the school. The legislation does not list any sanctions for schools that do not comply.
The senator said the bill was “not promoting any religion.”
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“I understand those that are opposed are trying to make it a religious issue,” Kelley said in an interview. “It’s not. It’s a historical issue. It’s affected our civilization.”
Critics said the version of the Ten Commandments in the bill combines multiple versions of the text and is not historical. Rev. Julie Conrady, a minister with the Unitarian Universalist Church of Birmingham, said there are three distinct versions of the Ten Commandments and combining them degrades the value and misrepresents the history of the Hebrew words.
“This bill is a violation of the First Amendment and imposes a certain religious understanding of a certain text that has been hodged-podged together and linguistically abused and has no place in our public schools,” Conrady said.
Kelley also said he did not know who would not want their children to learn “thou shall not murder.”
“It’s just some of the comments that were made were basically saying these principles are not really applicable in the school,” Kelley said. “But especially in the day and time we have school shootings and everything that we have, it’s applicable.”
Supporters of Kelley’s bill said the text is the foundation of Western civilization and the framework of the United States’ laws.
“The commandments are the cornerstone of Western civilization and American law,” said Becky Gerritson, executive director of Eagle Forum, a conservative organization. “These fundamental principles benefit society by reminding us of basic moral values such as respecting life property and truthfulness, which are essential for a well functioning community and regardless of your religious affiliation.”
Jim Lowe, a Baptist minister from Birmingham, said the Ten Commandments would serve as a “timeless” moral compass in classrooms.
“Let’s be clear, display and Ten Commandments in public schools is not about promoting a specific religion, but about reinforcing the fundamental universal values that were a part of our nation’s greatness,” Lowe said.
Steve Silverman, a rabbi from Mobile, said teachers are not equipped to answer questions students may have about the Hebrew-derived text.
“Displaying the 10 Jewish words unfairly sidelines Alabamians who may have diverse views of religious traditions,” he said. “Members of county boards of education, local principals and teachers across our state are not necessarily well trained to explain this program.
Louisiana passed similar legislation in 2024, but a Louisiana federal district court ruled it unconstitutional in November, citing the separation of church and state. Louisiana’s law, unlike Kelley’s proposal, required the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every classroom.
The committee did not vote on the legislation on Wednesday.
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