A Washington federal district court judge has issued a 10-day temporary restraining order prohibiting the U.S. Air Force from taking disciplinary or other adverse action against an Orthodox Jewish Air Force member for refusing to remove his skull cap while wearing his service uniform.
At issue is whether the Air Force can enforce its uniform dress standards against Rabbi Simcha Goldman, who serves as a clinical psychologist at March Air Force base in Riverside, Cal. Goldman is being represented in his court action by two Washington attorneys, David Butler, a board member of the National Jewish Commission on Law and Public Affairs (COLPA), and Nathan Lewin, a COLPA vice president.
At the end of the 10-day period, the attorneys said, Judge Aubrey Robinson III will decide whether to permanently enjoin the Air Force action against Goldman or dismiss the case.
Howard Zuckerman, president of COLPA, said this was the first instance in which Air Force uniform dress standards have been challenged when the individual involved has not been a chaplain.
Zuckerman said Goldman had been wearing his skull cap for a number of years as a psychologist at the Air Force base. When a new base commander took charge, Goldman was ordered to remove his skull cap while in uniform. Zuckerman said COLPA attorneys had been negotiating informally with Air Force officials for about eight weeks. When the Air Force made it clear that it expected Goldman to observe the Air Force dress code by not wearing his skull cap, he asked COLPA to take the issue to the courts.
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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.
