The National Jewish Commission on Law and Public Affairs (COLPA) will handle the defense of an Orthodox Jew who claims he was denied employment as a ‘court reporter by the New York Family Court because he would have to leave early on Friday during the winter months.
Julius Berman, president of COLPA, said: “It is unfortunate that in 1971, a fully qualified citizen of this state should be refused employment by a unit of his own government because of his religious observance…We intend to pursue every legal remedy to protect the rights of the individual in this matter.”
Berman added that COLPA has been receiving “numerous complaints of discrimination which we are in the process of negotiating with employers” so as to reach settlements without going to court. A complaint was filed last Tuesday with the New York State Division for Human Rights under provisions of the state law against discrimination in employment against Sabbath observers, which has applied to public employment since 1968 and private employment since June 25. A COLPA spokesman said the complainant’s name was not being made public at his request.
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.
