Although the Jews are a large majority of the suburban municipality of Outremont, many of them will be unable to participate in the municipal elections today without disregarding their religious beliefs.
Under the election law, the City Council must schedule elections seven days after the close of nominations. The seventh day is today, the first day of Passover. Members of the City Council were unable to find any way out to avoid this unforeseen and undesired disenfranchisement of Jewish voters.
The City Council decided to send a letter to each registered voter explaining its position on the question of the election date. It instructed the city attorney to study the possibility of a charter amendment which would make it possible to avoid conflict in future with religious holidays.
Several Outremont Jewish leaders, including aldermen whose seats are at stake in today’s election, said that Jewish voters will not go to the booths on the holiday. J. Y, Nadler, head of the Outremont Citizens’ Council, did not file his nomination papers because of the conflict between the holiday and election day.
Alderman Philip Fainer, a leader of the Montreal Jewish Community Council, an Orthodox body, pointed out that “no member of the Jewish community can act as a scrutineer or even be a candidate. There is no dispensation in our religion except in a matter of life or death. “
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