Olivette Council Offends Local Jews with Decision to Meet on Passover

When the Olivette City Council met on Tuesday for its regularly scheduled meeting, it ran afoul of Jewish residents who faced the decision to attend the meeting and speak out on an important issue, or stay home for their commemoration of the second night of Passover.

That's the word from the Anti-Defamation League of Missouri and Southern Illinois, which issued a statement slamming the city for its decision to proceed with the meeting. Those meetings are regularly scheduled on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month. Those meetings, according to policy on the city website, run unless they fall on a holiday.

"We must assume that the council's interpretation of the word 'holiday' is sadly limited," said ADL Regional Director Karen Aroesty in a statement. "Olivette could have joined other communities in the region such as Clayton, University City, Creve Coeur and Town and Country in an approach to governing that recognized the diverse religious needs of its residents. Instead, they failed in their public service."

The statement noted that "a number of Olivette residents" had requested a delay in the meeting, or least a delay of the vote "on a contentious vote of an issue about which many Jewish residents of Olivette wished to be heard."

The council approved a measure to allow gas stations in the city to sell alcoholic beverages—an issue which was contentious for some residents and business people. The issue was decided without council member Missy Waldman, who was at a home in Olivette for a Passover seder meal.

She told Patch that she was "shocked" that the council decided to proceed with the issue.

"I had talked to the mayor about this at least a week before the meeting about moving the date," said Waldman, who called the decision to have the meeting an "insult to the Jewish faith, which I deeply believe in."

"I told them I was fine if they had a brief meeting to deal with the police chief’s request for grants, which was a time sensitive issue," she said. "I was shocked to hear they went ahead without my participation and made a decision about allowing the sale of alcohol at gas stations."

In fact, the Creve Coeur City Council did delay a meeting from Monday, the first day of Passover, to Tuesday and removed one issue from its agenda. Clayton met a week ahead of its normal Monday meeting. Town and Country delayed its normal Monday meeting till Tuesday.

"They made an effort," Aroesty told Patch. "It was at least a recognition that this was a holiday some people were celebrating."

Passover is an eight-day commemoration of the Israelites' exodus from bondage in Egypt. Jews typically celebrate with a "seder meal" on the first night, and often the second night of Passover, with friends and family that commemorates the sacrifices and the deliverance of their ancestors.

Patch has left messages with the mayor and the city manager to get reaction and further information about this story. We'll update it when we have more to report.