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Montreal, Canada - Federal Election Day is on Sukkot |
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Montreal, Canada - Some members of Montreal's Jewish community are not pleased with the timing of the federal election, which falls on Sukkot, a religious holiday.
Tuesday is the first day of Sukkot, a seven-day festival of giving thanks for the fall harvest, where observant Jews build an structure in which they eat meals, entertain guests, and sometimes even sleep.
Helen, a Jewish Montrealer who wouldn't give her last name, said she's volunteered for years on election day as a poll clerk. But this year, she pulled her name from the list when she found out election day falls on an important holiday. "I certainly do not approve of it," she said.
It's unreasonable to expect the government to make plans based on religious calendars, but Jewish groups warned the Harper administration that voting day would land on Sukkot, said Bernie Farber, head of the Canadian Jewish Congress.
"It's not something that is going to terribly impact us," he said. "As long as advanced polls [were] set up." Farber said many observant Jews have already cast their ballots.
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1
Oct 15, 2008 at 07:45 AM Sonschein Says:
This would be a big issue if not for the fact that the Canadian gov't is accomodating to all ethnicities, and when they heard about the overlapping dates they immediately created an alternative way of voting, either by mail-in ballot or by opening early polling stations a few days after Rosh Hashana.
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Oct 15, 2008 at 08:48 PM bigwheeel Says:
“ This would be a big issue if not for the fact that the Canadian gov't is accomodating to all ethnicities, and when they heard about the overlapping dates they immediately created an alternative way of voting, either by mail-in ballot or by opening early polling stations a few days after Rosh Hashana. ”
So, that's to the credit of the [Canadian] Government. And it's a non-issue!