Image by wikipedia

A federal government lawsuit against a Dunkin’ Donuts franchisee for refusing to hire a Sabbath-observant worker drew praise from Agudath Israel of America and the Reform movement.

“Employers need to know that it is illegal to refuse to hire an employee because of his or her religion, and that they are required by federal law to attempt to accommodate Sabbath observers in the workplace,” Mordechai Biser, Aguda’s general counsel, said in a statement Monday.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission brought the suit against Citi Brands LLC for refusing to hire Darrell Littrell, a Seventh Day Adventist, who was offered and then denied a job at a manufacturing facility in Arden, N.C.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

“Employers should be mindful that it is against the law to discriminate against an applicant or an employee based on his religion, including the observance of the Sabbath,” Lynette Barnes, the regional attorney for the EEOC’s Charlotte District, said in a statement.

Barbara Weinstein, the director of the Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism, said it was the EEOC’s role to investigate any failure to accommodate religion.

“No one should be denied a job opportunity based on religious belief, unless it poses an undue hardship to the employer,” she told JTA. “Here Citi Brands appears to have failed to provide the desired accommodation based on Littrell’s religious belief. We hope that this case will send a signal to other employers regarding the importance of providing accommodations for employees.”

Seventh Day Adventists, like observant Jews, observe the Sabbath from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’re in the middle of our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we have a very ambitious goal of $127,000 by April 22.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a Passover gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Make a Passover Gift Today!

$90 $180

$360

Other amount