The passage by the Legislature of the “civil marriage” bill which would allow marriage ceremonies to be performed by any judge or justice of the peace or the Mayor of any incorporated city or town in Maryland, was urged in a letter signed by fourteen clergymen, representing eight denominations. All are Baltimoreans. Copies of the letter were sent to members of the General Assembly, in session here.
Those signing the appeal for the bill which has been introduced in the House of Delegates, included Rabbi Morris S. Lazarus, of the Baltimore Hebrew Congregation, and Rabbi Ed-ward L. Israel, of the Har Sinai Congregation.
“It should be noted,” the letter said in part, “that the proposed legislation does not seek to abolish the religious ceremony for those desiring it, not does it interfere with the relationships of any church to its members. The sacramental idea of matrimony for those who so believe is not affected in the least.”
Maryland is said to be the only State in the Union still requiting a religious marriage ceremony.
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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.
