New York City Parking Regulations Suspended for All Jewish Holidays

A New York City policy of suspending alternate side of the street parking regulations on all Jewish holidays during which total abstention from work is required by Jewish religious law has been restored by Mayor John V. Lindsay, a Jewish spokesman reported today.

Under alternate parking rules, cars may not be parked on specified streets at specified hours to enable the Sanitation Department to clean the streets. Violators are subject to summonses and fines.

The restoration of the policy was announced last night at City Hall at the close of three months of discussions on the matter between municipal officials and Jewish leaders. Last June, the city suddenly cancelled suspension of the regulations, except for the Jewish New Year holy days, and more than 200 summonses were issued to Jewish auto owners who left their cars parked in restricted street areas on the second day of Shavuot. Arrangements were made with the New York City Criminal Court for dismissal of those summonses after conferences with Deputy Mayor Robert Sweet and negotiations were started to restore the earlier policy.

Present for the final talks yesterday were Deputy Mayor Sweet; David Love, an assistant to Mayor Lindsay; and a number of Jewish leaders, for whom Marvin Schick, a Hunter College faculty member and Orthodox Jewish leader, served as spokesman. Dr. Schick said that the agreement meant that off-street parking regulations would be suspended for up to 10 Jewish holy days, including Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Passover, Shavuot and Succot. The policy will apply to the upcoming Succot holiday, Dr. Schick said. The regulations have been routinely suspended for Good Friday and Christmas, as well as for the Jewish New Year days.