New York State’s Democratic Party was pledged today to back new legislation permitting Jews who observe the Sabbath to keep their business open Sundays. At the same time, the Republican Party’s state convention, meeting at Buffalo, has a similar plank as a proposal for its platform. The Republican platform has not as yet been adopted.
The Democratic state platform, adopted here yesterday, commits the party to back state legislation assuring “fair treatment in trade to those who observe their Sabbath day on a day other than Sunday.”
A number of major Jewish organizations have petitioned the platform committees of both major parties to pledge support for such state legislation. The Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada had telegraphed the chairmen of the two platform committees, here and at Buffalo, declaring that the present State Blue Laws regarding Sunday closing “are unfair and discriminatory, and constitute in spirit a violation of religious freedom.”
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.