In the Baltimore Jewish Times’ offices, we have black, bound volumes of old issues of the JT, stretching back more than a century. It is a treasure trove that documents the Baltimore Jewish community, its people and the issues that were, and remain, important to us.
This week, we are introducing a new, monthly series, where we will share old articles from these bound volumes.
Our first installment spotlights an article from the Jan. 18, 1980 issue, which reveals some of the issues important to the Jewish community going into that year’s legislative session of the Maryland General Assembly.
In 1980, the state bill that most impacted the Jewish community was H.B. 317, which sought to protect students from being discriminated against for not attending school during religious holidays.
Another interesting issue that session was a proposed constitutional amendment that would have given Washington, D.C., representation in the House of Representatives and in the Senate. According to the 1980 JT article, some Jewish delegates became hesitant to support the amendment after Walter Fauntroy — who was considered the most likely candidate to serve as a senator for D.C., — visited the headquarters of Yasser Arafat, the chairman of the Palestinian Liberation Organization.
