The Minnesota Jewish Community Relations Council placed on record today a series of objections to a Sunday closing bill now before the Minnesota Legislature.
The objections were listed by Samuel L. Scheiner, executive director of the JCRC, at a hearing conducted by the General Legislative Committee of the Minnesota State Senate. He told the committee members that the proposed Sunday law would “impair our religious liberty” because it would “penalize individuals for adhering to their religious beliefs or for not adhering to any religious belief.”
He said the most objectionable aspect of the bill was a section which provides an exemption for an individual preferring Saturday as his day of rest, relaxation and togetherness because the section requires that a statement denoting this choice must be filed in the office of the Clerk of District Court “in each county” in which the individual “maintains such a selling establishment.”
The JCRC official said that Minnesota citizens should be given the choice “without restriction or the filing of any statements or affidavits,” which he asserted would be an infringement on the religious freedom of many citizens. He added that the JCRC felt that “the mere granting of an exemption to certain of our citizens immediately stigmatizes them as second class citizens” and doubly so for those choosing Saturday rather than Sunday as their day of rest and relaxation.
“The technique of requiring minority religious groups to register with law authorities is something that is all too reminiscent of the practice of totalitarian countries,” he told the committee. He argued that if the law was to be fair, equitable and just, those who choose Sunday as their day of closing should similarly be required to file a statement with the authorities.
Dr. Bernard Martin, rabbi of Mt. Zion Temple, speaking for the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, set forth the Reform opposition to Sunday closing legislation. It was noted that the Sunday closing law passed in 1962 by the Minneapolis city council makes it mandatory for those who close their places of business on Saturday to file a statement with the Police Department.
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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.
