News In Brief

On Rosh Hashana, Jews voice concern over church and state

On yesterday's observance of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year, Jewish leaders voiced keen concern about what they saw as a tendency to mix state affairs with religion.

''Among our many prayers ... is a prayer about prayer,'' said Kenneth J. Bialkin, national chairman of the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith. He said that Jews prayed for an end of ''divisive'' efforts to legislate prayer in public schools and that ''legally mandated'' prayer would be a step toward a ''state religion.''

President Reagan in a brief statement Tuesday extended his best wishes to the nation's Jews as they prepared for their new year, saying, ''The ties between the Jewish and American traditions run deep and are related in no small way to the special relationship that exists between the United States and Israel.''