Rockland County, NY – The Ben Gilman Medical and Dental Center has announced plans to open for service on Saturdays.
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Advocates who have long pushed for this are welcoming the news, which was announced in a Feb. 3 letter to S. Ram Nagubandi, the county’s Commissioner of Human Rights.
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Gilman’s officials – who are religious Jews – had been unwilling to open Saturdays because that day marks the Jewish Sabbath.
The Nyack branch of the NAACP had filed a civil rights complaint seeking to compel the clinic to open on Saturdays. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People believed the Saturday opening would be convenient for the low-income residents of the working class community.
The Gilman clinic and its sister site, Monsey Medical and Dental Center in Monsey, have in the past few years been the focus of complaints by community advocates who have criticized the way they say the reception staff has treated non-English-speaking immigrants, the undocumented and the uninsured.
The clinics’ operators have denied any wrongdoing in those cases, saying any incidents were caused by miscommunication and inaccurate information provided to residents by local organizations.
Since when have ILLEGAL immigrants been “euphamisimed” into “undocumented?”
What a pity that they were forced into this. This is a major scandal, that a nonsense lawsuit could force yidden to compromise on Shabbos. (I’m sure they’ll do a heter mechira, but that’s still a compromise, not a lechatchila.)
But any time now we’ll have the usual antisemite shouting “dina demalchusa”, and claiming (without ANY source) that whatever the goyishe law says is incorporated into the Torah, and overrides any other halacha!
This will, G-d forbid, bring the opposite of blessing. It’s a Chilul Hashem.
And for what? Government grant money?
Is it SO hard to keep the mitzvos today!
I hope all black institutions catering for Jews will decide to open on MLK day and other Christian holidays.
Is this a Public clinic or a private non-profit organization?
This is a private company owned by M.H. former OWNER of Monsey Hatzoloh. Once you accept gov.$ you cant be partial even though yeshivas get away with posting an add in the paper “that we dont discriminate”. Dont blame any one but ouselvs if the hanhola is corrupt, we let them get away with it (for the good of the mosad)
If they’re receiving government money for the services they provide (and they are,) they should be required to keep the hours the government requires of them. To #2 – it’s a public clinic. To # 4, the way they keep the place is a Chillul Hashem to begin with (I have been there.) The place is dirty and the staff is for the most part belligerent. They get credit for not being discriminatory, they’re rude to everyne regardless of race, creed, or religion!! This is actually a very fitting turn of events.
Calm down. No one is forced to work on Shabbat. The clinic can open with non-jewish or non-observant employees.
Where is there a law that says a clinic or any other office must be open in violation of constitutional right to practice religion as seen fit?
they shuld close it and let the NAACP open their own .antisemiths
If I recall correctly, this complaint has already been through the court system where it was ruled that they don’t have to be open Shabbos.
Forced to be open on Shabbos? I don’t think so, and I think we need to fight this tooth and nail. Stores in NJ are closed on Sundays.. it’s their day of rest. I don’t care whether it is non-observant or non-Jewish employees, this is a very sad day indeed.
If this is a non profit organization that is incorporated and in the Articles of Incorporation and on the Form 990 Federal Income Tax Return the Board of Directors clearly state that the clinic is created to specifically serve and be sensitive to the unique needs ofthe local community of religious Jews of Brooklyn, in my opinion, this would allow them to close on Shabbos. Clearly, if the clinic is nondiscriminatory and treats all residents in the community equallyl, closing on Shabbos will not indicate discrimination. There are numerous clinics nationwide that are incorporated to serve specific communities with specific sensitive needs. This is the greatness of the American System. It is a shame that the local NAACP never organized their own clinics to serve their community and be sensitive to their needs. This should be encouraged for all communities that have sensitve needs to be met in the critically important healthcare field. This is my opinion. Your local attorney should be able to support this line of reasoning in Court.
I am waiting for the day that the medical centers run by non jews, (with gvt funding) to be open on Sunday because it is ‘convenient’ for the low income residents in the area that are jewish.
I’m suing the post office to open on Sunday. Why are they entitled to a day off and my business not? How can anyone force me to be open and do business on a day that I take off? How can people that didn’t contibute a dime, or an idea, to the planning, building, and operation dictate it’s schedule? How does an an organization in Nyack make policy in Monsey?
“The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People believed the Saturday opening would be convenient for the low-income residents of the working class community.”
“believed”?? Did they do a study? Did they take a poll? Do they have a petition? Did they compile a list of potential visitors? Do they a stack of complaints from people that could not attend? This is not a civil right issue, it is harassment of a Jewish Business. Martin Luther King would have been embarassed by these people. They want a clinic open Sunday? there’s no law saying they can’t build one.
*Tell the NAACP legal defense and education fund NY 10013, to put some of their 20 million annual income and 42 million in investments into their community, not into frivolous lawsuits. If their top 5 Employees didn’t make $845,000 maybe they’d have something left over for the community?
*Figures from latest 990 on guidestar.org