Legislation introduced in Congress to permit religious Jews serving in the military to wear yarmulkes is supported by the Synagogue Council of America (SCA), an umbrella organization of U.S. Jewish religious organizations.
The legislation states that “A member of the Armed Forces may wear an item of religious apparel if … (it is) part of the religious observance of the religious faith practiced by the member.” It is sponsored by Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D. NJ), and has 20 Senate co-sponsors. Representatives Stephen Solarz (D. NY), Patricia Schroeder (D. Colo.) and Jim Courter (R. NJ) are co-sponsoring it in the House.
Last year the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Air Force did not have to make an exception to its dress code to allow a Jew, Captain Simcha Goldman, to wear a yarmulke. A 5-4 court majority felt the yarmulke threatened Air Force discipline.
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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.
