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From: dave@utcsrgv.UUCP (Dave Sherman)
Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish
Subject: Re: How do you deal with Jewish Holidays and WORK?
Message-ID: <3394@utcsrgv.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 28-Feb-84 14:00:43 EST
Article-I.D.: utcsrgv.3394
Posted: Tue Feb 28 14:00:43 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 28-Feb-84 17:17:19 EST
References: <963@pegasus.UUCP>
Organization: The Law Society of Upper Canada, Toronto
Lines: 39

I have always believed that I should be able to take Jewish holy
days as time off which is not vacation. After all, the time is
not in fact vacation. On the other hand, I make a point of working
on Christmas Day and the like. (I'm serious.)

As to leaving early on Fridays in the winter, I have always considered
that a non-issue. I just go. (On the other hand, I've always been
fortunate enough to have jobs which didn't depend on doing things
at any particular time of day.)

In more general terms, there are several ways to react to being Orthodox
in a non-Jewish (or, what is sometimes worse, a Jewish nonobservant)
work environment. One is to try and hide any differences, sacrificing
one's personal standards for the sake of "blending in". I see no need
or justification for this in these days. A second approach is to be
different and make a big point of it. A third approach, which I prefer,
is to be different, visibly so, but consider the difference to be a
non-issue in terms of work and work relationships.

I was the first person to wear a yarmulke at a major downtown Toronto
(non-Jewish) law firm. I had friends (who took theirs off when they went
to work) tell me I would never get hired by one of the big firms if I
went to the interview wearing a yarmulke. Well, they were wrong. The
fact is, these things simply aren't a concern to most employers, even
in a profession like law which is so conscious of its image.

I take a simimlar approach with holidays. I have never discussed
holidays or Shabbos at an employment interview (except with
nonobservant Jews, who are the only ones who ever raise it).
I simply take it as given that I will leave at certain times
and not be available on certain days. When September comes around,
in any job, I don't "ask" about time off. I simply inform the
appropriate people that I won't be in on certain days. It's simple.


Dave Sherman
Toronto
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