Italy OKs Sabbath Off for Jews
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ROME — Italian Jews were allowed to take Saturday off under a decree by the Interior Ministry recognizing Jewish religious holidays.
The decree, published Thursday, says Jews who work in the public or private sector as well as those in the military and civil service do not have to work on their religious holidays.
Jews who take Saturday off will in most cases have to work on Sunday or put in extra hours on other days.
Many Italians employed in the public sector work a six-day week that includes Saturday morning.
The decree also instructs schools to keep in mind the Jewish Sabbath when scheduling examinations since Jewish students do not have to attend classes on Saturday.
The decree was the result of talks between the Italian government and the country’s Jewish community.
There are about 40,000 Jews in Italy, where the population of about 57 million is overwhelmingly Roman Catholic.
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