New York – A group of Rastafarian men who work as public safety officers in Manhattan don’t need to hide their dreadlocks under their uniform caps anymore.
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The Grand Central Partnership settled a federal lawsuit Friday that accused it of forcing the men to painfully tuck their long dreadlocks inside their caps and suspending them for allegedly violating a grooming policy.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said that the organization has begun allowing the men to wear their hair in neat ponytails.
The nonprofit agreed to revise its policies and pay the men $40,000 under the terms of the settlement.
The partnership protects and promotes a 70-block area surrounding Grand Central Terminal.
It said in a statement that it has long given reasonable religious accommodation to its employees upon request.
thats the ugliest hair i have ever seen! he must overheat in the hot summer months with that hair. ouch!
Sorry but that is SCARY looking. And don’t compare it to the right to wear a neat kippa on your head.
oich mir a religion.
just another venue for giving a name to their hefkerdige way of living, suposedly giving it some dignity.
ech
let them wear their hair the way they want to as long as it does not interfere with their jobs who cares. as far as overheating,chassidim wear long black kapotes and hats or a shtreimel in the worst August heat they probably have to pay very high a/c bills.
can they smoke weed on the job too? Thats a big part of rasta meditation….
some comments are hilarious,
chassidem making fun how other people look are you seroius, bald heads, pious, long beards, stremeil in 105 degrees. long black coats and vests in days that is sweltering. and why because that is the way people dressed that way the 1500 in Poland. Most outsiders including frum yidden really do not get it how you dress why you dress that way in the summer.
Maybe someone can enlighten me what the reason is and why it one must wear it. why it is holy and what basis does it have to do with yiddin or the Jewish religion
Whats the
‘inyan’ to wear your hair like that?
All these negative comments are a huge chillul HaShem. Further, I don’t know what Torah you all are studying (it’s not in the comment sections on news sites!) but I learned that nazirim (which is what these folks regard themselves as, and what do we care if they do?) had these kind of locks on account of not cutting any of their hair.
For what it’s worth, this particular religion (the name of which is the name of their moshiach-type deity, so be mindful of not saying it) does in fact follow most of the requirements that are particular to nazirim – they don’t cut any of the hair on their bodies, they refrain from alcohol, etc. Further, they don’t eat meat or cooked food – which means they more or less keep kosher. We shouldn’t ever discount anybody who takes the Torah seriously – that same Rambam you can’t picture a goy learning said that all these religions based on the Torah are to prepare goyim for HaOlam HaBa and Moshiach, so what’s the problem? Seriously, what do you all gain from saying such nasty things about btzelem Elokim?
This is a good a time as any to discuss the Torah attitude toward kovod habrios:
If my chumros impede someone else’s ability to make a proper brocha al pi halacha, or successfully digest their food, I may need to re-consider what Hashem Really wants from me in my kiyum hamitzvos.
If, on the other hand, my ignorance or lack of self-awareness impede’s someone else’s ability to make a proper brocha al pi halacha, or successfully digest their food, I may need to broaden my knowledge and self-awareness of how my personal actions affect others.
If my chumros cause me to become ignorant or lacking in self-awareness, I need to discuss this with a Rav.
If my ignorance or my lack of self-awareness causes me to take-on chumros, I may need a therapist.
I too am nogeya b’davar, as are all humans.
Honesty with myself about what my agenda is, enables me to know what areas to work on to be a better person.
Improving myself in the ways that are genuinely within my capacity, enhances my avodas Hashem, and raises my nekudas habechira in a way that promotes growth, success, and satisfaction.
May we continue to grow in an atmosphere of tolerance for each other’s weaknesses, as well as respect for each other’s strengths.
THANK YOU #13 !!
I get the feeling that #9 does not really want an answer. It’s a shame because I grew up Yeskkish and slowly became chassidish.
A) Rastafarianism is pure avodah zarah as it proclaims Halie Selassie god B) it uses marijuana for its avodah C) The Rambam says its ossur for a goy to create a new religion not based on the 7 mitzvos exactly as based by the torah trough Moshe D) They are chaav misa for chiddush daas Look in Hilchos Melachim perek 8 till the end E) That Rambam that says its a preparation does not say its mutar for a goy but a step closer to monotheism as contrqasted by avodah zarah in former times and will be able to grasp the tenets of Bnai Noach See als Iggeres moshe on hilchos tefilah for a goy
but you wear them in the summer,
you can spend just as much money on other materials to honor shobbos. If what you say is true then their is no reason for fur one can buy any expensive clothing to honor shabbos. The stemeil had no meaning then, it is just that it is expensive and warm, that is not what I want in the summer or if I live in Florida or Israel or other hot climate
so you haven’t really answered the question. You just answered why you spend money on it not way you wear fur.
So if I buy 3,000 dollar suite that in style for shobbos I assume you and others would say it is exactly the same since you spend it on shobbos clothing?
From my experience it is not, so why is that it meets all your criteria?
according to Wikipedia rastafarians believe that haile selassie was god and not just messiah. This is avodah zarah