Orthodox Jewish students from New Jersey will be able to compete in the National High School Mock Trial Championship next month without violating their Sabbath.
Under an agreement announced April 8, the 17 students from Torah Academy of Bergen County in Teaneck, N.J., will begin their trials a day early, on a Thursday. Teams not competing with Torah will start on Friday. If Torah students make it to the final round, it will be held after sunset on Saturday, instead of in the afternoon, to allow the students to observe their day of rest and worship.
The North Carolina Association of Trial Lawyers, which is hosting the championships in Charlotte on May 5-7, reached the agreement with the New Jersey State Bar Foundation, which pushed for the schedule change so Torah Academy’s team could compete.
