Hasidic Jews wear face masks
Hasidic Jews wear face masksDavid Cohen/Flash90

A Quebec Superior Court judge ruled against a request by the Council of Hasidic Jews of Quebec to be granted a two and a half hour exemption to the Canadian province's 8 p.m. "red zone" curfew.

Justice Brian Riordan's decision states that the council's argument would pose a potential threat to public health during the pandemic, reported the Canadian Jewish News. The council had argued that the religious freedom of the observant Jews it represents is at stake as the "red zone" curfew interferes with their ability to be at synagogue past 8 p.m. for evening prayers.

With the implementation of daylight savings time, when clocks advance one hour, the issue became a legitimate concern.

The group argued that making it impossible for Hasidic Jews to carry out evening prayers, a religious duty, violates religious freedom.

The council's vice president, Max Lieberman, stated that they are presently going over the ruling with their legal team and are weighing their next move.

“The Council invites all our members from the different communities to respect the government decrees, as we have done since the beginning of this terrible pandemic, having always in mind the common good,” Lieberman said, according to the Canadian Jews News.

Earlier in the month, Lieberman spoke to Global News, saying that “if it is permitted to walk your dog after the curfew, how can it be maintained that a practicing believer, who respects the barrier measures decreed by public health, cannot return home after 8 p.m.?”

The group's court filing stated that "the imposition of a curfew less than an hour before nightfall and eventually after nightfall, considering the progressive extension of the period of daily daylight, constitutes a very serious obstacle to religious freedom of people whose religious beliefs require to attend a ceremony or a group prayer in a place of worship after nightfall."

Quebec is Canada's only province with a nightly curfew. Outside of Montreal, the curfew begins at 9:30 p.m. Most of Quebec's Jews live in Montreal.

Provincial fines for breaking curfew regulations are costly, and can range from $1,000 to $6,000 along with administrative fees.