A Quebec Superior Court judge has agreed in part with the Hasidic Jewish Council of Quebec’s request to allow more than 10 people inside a synagogue to take part in communal prayer.
In a decision delivered on Friday, Justice Chantal Masse decided the provincial government’s order that a maximum of 10 people be allowed inside a place of worship applies “to each room in a building that has independent access to the street without sharing a common space with the other rooms.”
“If the court has one message to deliver to the (council) and to the entire Hasidic Jewish community it represents, as well as all the faithful who benefit from this decision, it would be to rigorously respect the rules of law that are sanitary measures, as constraining as they are, as they should be presumed to be valid,” the judge wrote in her 53-page decision.
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2 Responses
BH for this good news
The Yidellech would be wise not to abuse this ruling and abide by the order and it’s intent
The decision does not help much, as one cannot add men in the ezras nashim as they all share a common space with the larger minyan. It must be a totally separate room. Unless it is changed, Purim will be a major problem as Montreal has a curfew of 8 pm and there will not be enough time to have multiple readings of the Megillah at night. Hopefully, things will improve by then.