The Israeli Cabinet today overruled an Army court-martial and ordered the release of two Orthodox soldiers sentenced to one week’s imprisonment for refusal to cook a meal on the Sabbath.
The case raised a storm of protest both in the Cabinet and among the people; the Mizrachi Labor Party held a public protest rally. In the Cabinet, Minister for Religion Judah L. Fishman protested against the court-martial sentence, asserting that religious Jewry was shocked by it. He was supported by Minister for the Inter##lor Itzhak Gruenbaum who said that although he personally was not religious he supported Fishman’s position as a matter of guaranteeing freedom of conscience.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
