A New York State Supreme Court Justice rejected yesterday a petition from an Orthodox Jew to halt a Rockland County referendum this Saturday.
Justice John J. Dillon disagreed in his ruling with the contention of petitioner Meshulem Rottenberg of New Square, that observant Jews would not have a full opportunity to vote in the referendum. New Square is a Rockland County village established by a Hassidic sect.
Justice Dillon said he had taken judicial notice of the fact that on December 14, the sun would set in the area at 4:36 p.m. and that traditional Jews followed the rule that the Sabbath ends at 72 minutes after sunset, meaning that the Sabbath would end at 5:48 p.m. Observant Jews, he said, would have from 5:48 p.m. to 7 p.m. to vote and thus would “not be compelled to choose between their civic rights and their religious beliefs.”
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.
