In a sweeping decision announced today, the New York State Commission for Human Rights ordered the Arabian-American Oil Company (ARAMCO) to stop discriminating against Jewish job applicants.
The ruling, climaxing a six-year legal battle launched against ARAMCO by the American Jewish Congress, was hailed by Shad Polier, who served as counsel for the AJ Congress in the case, as “a landmark decision in the effort to protect the equality of all Americans and to safeguard against the importation of foreign prejudice and discrimination to our shores.” Mr. Polier, chairman of the national governing council of the AJ Congress, listed these highlights of the decision:
1. The Commission vindicated the AJ Congress charge that Jews had been excluded from all phases of employment with ARAMCO, including work in New York as well as in Saudi Arabia, in violation of the New York State Fair Employment law.
2. The Commission upheld the AJCongress claim that ARAMCO had no legal basis for screening persons seeking work in Saudi Arabia by requiring them to fill out visa applications and rejecting those from Jews.
3. The Commission recognized it had no power to compel Saudi Arabia to admit Jews but ruled that ARAMCO could not serve as a “catspaw” for Saudi Arabia in barring Jews from entering the country.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
