Syndication
The Ethicist
Q. Can I Take Off Work for ‘Kasha Varnishka’? A. Yes, But Not During Pesach
The New York Times Ethicist columnist fields a fun Jewish-related question this week.
Walter Henry of Downey, Calif., writes to him:
Years ago in Seattle I worked for an insurance company with just one Jewish employee, a good friend. He invented Jewish holidays, taking days off several times a year. As the only other employee at all familiar with Judaism, I could have finked on him or kept silent and been disloyal to my employer. I kept silent. Was that the right choice?
The Ethicist deems Henry’s choice “acceptable”:
Your coming forward was permitted but not required; you had no obligation to police the vacation requests of your co-workers (or to steer your friend to the path of righteousness). Of course, had you been asked directly if Kasha Varnishka was an authentic Jewish festival, you would have had to reply: yes, it commemorates the glorious victory of the Maccabees over a recalcitrant side dish.
