Senator John Kerry Urging Approval For Yarmulkes In The Coast Guard

Senator John Kerry urged the U.S. Coast Guard to allow a Chasidic Jew to wear a yarmulke while on duty.

The Massachusetts senator wrote a letter to the commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard in defense of Jack Rosenberg of Spring Valley, N.Y.
After being sworn into the Coast Guard Auxiliary last year, Rosenberg was told by his commander that he was not permitted to wear a yarmulke while on duty.
According to current Coast Guard regulations, “religious items” must be “concealed or worn only during religious services.”

Kerry is the principal sponsor of the Workplace Religious Freedom Act, which would require employers to make a reasonable accommodation for an employee’s religious practice or observance.