Jewish leader dazed by 'Israelite' claim

Canterbury's Jewish community is distancing itself from a businessman who cites his religious beliefs for refusing to pay a former worker for unjustified dismissal.

Carl van Zijll de Jong, owner of Lincoln clothing company Pro Labora, was ordered by the Employment Relations Authority last February to pay his former worker, Joanna Penny, $6800.

The authority awarded Ms Penny $2500 in lost wages, $3000 compensation and $1300 costs, ruling that she had been sacked without grounds when her pattern design and machining job was axed after she refused to sign a fixed-term contract.

But Mr Van Zijll de Jong refuses to pay, saying that it goes against his religious principles as a "spiritual Israelite" and that his loyalty is to a far greater force than the Employment Relations Authority.

"I know one day I will have to face my God on judgment day," Mr Van Zijll de Jong, who emigrated from the Netherlands in 1979, told The Press newspaper this week. Mr Van Zijll de Jong told the newspaper that as an Israelite he believed in the Bible and worshipped at a Jewish synagogue.

"Israelites believe that the only true God is the God of Israel and we believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is king. The Israelites are the children of God," he said.

But yesterday the president of the Canterbury Hebrew Congregation, June Kirk, said Mr Van Zijll de Jong was not a member of the congregation and was "certainly not Jewish".

Mrs Kirk said the Hebrew community wished to distance itself from Mr Van Zijll de Jong and his strange philosophies.

"I jumped up and down myself when I read [the article]," she said. "I thought 'dear oh dear, what are you talking about?'."

Mrs Kirk said her community members respected and obeyed the laws of the land and would never cite their religious beliefs as an excuse for avoiding any court orders.

"It's not our religious philosophy. It's not our civic philosophy," she said.

Mrs Kirk said a Jewish person would never call themselves an Israelite.

"That smacks of fundamental Christianity, of some sect or other."

A number of people attended the only Jewish synagogue in Christchurch, some of whom were fundamental Christians.

"I can't say they worship, because the service is all in Hebrew and they don't understand it."

Mrs Kirk said Mr Van Zijll de Jong had done her community "no favour whatsoever" by his statements.

Mr Van Zijll de Jong was unrepentant yesterday, both about his religious beliefs and his refusal to abide by the Employment Relations Authority ruling.

However, he said he would not stand in the way of Ms Penny securing whatever of his company's assets she could.

"When they want to have the material possessions that they think they have a right to, they can take it off me," he said. "I will not stop them."

- NZPA