Twenty-five major national and local Jewish organizations today protested against the action of the New York State Joint Legislative Committee on the Sabbath Law in recommending “immediate relief for sports promoters ” from the operation of the Sunday Law but failing to propose similar relief for persons “who abide by their deeply religious convictions.”
In a telegram to Gov. Dewey, the organizations expressed “grave distress” over the failure of the Joint Committee to include in its recommendations provisions whereby persons observing Saturday as their day of rest may be exempted from the operation of the Sunday Law. Under the present law, such persons must suffer “serious penalty for their adherence to their religious convictions,” the organization said.
“We urge you to use your good offices to obtain passage during this session of a bill permitting exemption from the Sunday Law for observers of the Jewish Sabbath and thus strengthen the foundations of religious liberty in this state, “the telegram to Governor Dewey asked.
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