The New York State Commission Against Discrimination has issued its first “cease and desist” order in the five-and-a-half years of its existence, it was announced here today.
The order was directed against the Kirk Lucas Agency, an employment agency, which asked a prospective employee whether he spoke Yiddish at home. The Commission revealed that previously it had settled by agreement 1,804 cases of complaints of discrimination in employment, including an earlier case involving the Kirk Lucas Agency. The complaint was made by John W. Woorm, a former military intelligence officer, who was applying for a position as a guard overseas.
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.