A clause of a will disinheriting a daughter for marrying outside the Jewish faith was ruled invalid here because it was considered to be contrary to Quebec’s freedom of religion act. The ruling was handed down by Associate Chief Justice George S. Challies who found the provision in the wills of Leon Klein, who died in 1958, and his wife, who died 15 months earlier, contrary to Quebec law.
The daughter, Mrs. Dorothy Klein Dorais, who was deprived of benefit by the will’s restriction, appealed to the court, asking that the clause be declared void. She had been married to a Roman Catholic in a synagogue in the United States, but converted to Catholicism two years after the death of her father.
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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.
