The case of an Orthodox Jewish resident of Youngstown. Ohio, who was denied unemployment compensation when she refused to accept a position requiring her to work on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, was carried yesterday to the United States Supreme Court.
Complainant in the case is Mary Jane Heisler, who was denied unemployment benefits on November 13, 1948, after she refused to investigate potential employment at St. Elizabeth Hospital of Youngstown, Ohio, when told that the job would require working on the Sabbath.
Leo Pfeffer, counsel for the Youngtown Jewish Community Council and the American Jewish Congress, filed the appeal with the highest Federal court from a decision by the Ohio Supreme Court which affirmed a ruling of the State Board of Review of Unemployment Compensation. Mr. Pfeffer argued that the Ohio decision violates Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which says that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
