Local community board elections in the anti-poverty program are prohibited on a Sabbath day under a provision in the Senate-House conference report authorizing the revision and extension of the Office of Economic Opportunity.
The report, entitled “Economic Opportunity Amendments of 1972,” was completed last night and put before both Houses of Congress, which are expected to act on the legislation within the next two weeks. The amendment is not expected to encounter any difficulty in passage.
Rep. Edward L Koch (D.N.Y.) introduced the prohibition in May. A similar proposal was offered in the Senate in June by Sen. Jacob K. Javits (R.N.Y.) Koch pointed out that among New York City’s poor, Jews constitute the third largest group of urban poor in NY.
Difficulties over Sabbath day elections arose in New York City earlier this year when election for local anti-poverty boards was set for a Saturday. Subsequently, the New York City Council and the New York State legislature adopted legislation requiring that such elections be held on non-Sabbath days.
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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.
