A letter writer, “Name Withheld,” stated, “These laws mandate that certain stores close on Sundays disrupting our lives and limiting our freedom to shop when it suits us.” (Abolish the Sunday Closing Law/Blue Laws in New Jersey” November 9, 2023)

I find the words, “Disrupting our lives” particularly harsh and insensitive. While I do agree that it is inconvenient not to be able to shop locally when we want to, I have a very different perspective.

My parents owned a shoe store. My mom worked beside my dad in the afternoons, and they had one employee. Sunday was my dad’s only day off for the family and to take care of simple household chores such as cutting the grass or hedges. They were not affluent enough to hire outside help. Sunday was also the day he could go to minyan and stay to learn Mishnayos, and then continue his other community activities such as volunteering for The Jewish Free Loan Society, both Sunday activities.

If the store had been open on Sunday, he would have been forced to work seven days a week. If someone else took his place, any profits made that day would have been for no other purpose than to pay the help who worked instead of him.

I don’t understand why the writer wished to have his name withheld. This is an honest discussion.

Barbara E. Sussman
Teaneck