The Brooklyn Jewish Community Council warned Mayor Robert Wagner yesterday that the curbing of Jewish funerals on Sunday would cause “serious difficulties” for the “traditional American religious freedom of 1,900, 000 Jews in this city.”
The appeal to Mayor Wagner from Surrogate Maximilian Moss, president of the council, was evoked by the contract demands of Local 643 of the Teamsters Union, representing 1,000 funeral car drivers, who are seeking a five-day week. Their demands make no provision for servicing Jewish funerals on Sundays, when many Jewish burials take place because of the religious ban on Saturday burials. The local threatened to strike for its demands but the strike was postponed until February 28 for further negotiations.
As the Year Turns, Support the Journalism You Trust. JTA covers the stories shaping Jewish life around the world — with the depth this moment calls for. As you reflect on the year ahead, consider a gift that keeps independent Jewish journalism strong.
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.
