Obituaries

Attorney Jerry Sandweiss Dies

Sandweiss, a University City High School graduate, represented Temple Israel in a groundbreaking case in the 1950s.

Jerry Sandweiss, a local attorney who helped Temple Israel relocate to Creve Coeur in the 1950s, died July 16, 2013. 

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Sandweiss was 88. The University City High School graduate was a resident of Clayton.

In the 1950s, Sandweiss was a member of the legal team that took the case of Temple Israel to the Missouri Supreme Court. Temple Israel sought to move to Creve Coeur from the city, because many of its congregants had moved to the county. The City of Creve Coeur attempted to block the temple from building on land it had purchased. 

Quoting from the Post-Dispatch story: 

"The city of Creve Coeur said no. The city refused to permit the congregation to build on land it had purchased at the intersection of Ladue and Spoede roads.

Members of the congregation believed they were rejected because of their religion. The city said the temple would have violated zoning ordinances.

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Mr. Sandweiss was one of four lawyers who sued on behalf of the congregation. The Missouri high court unanimously ruled in 1959 that zoning ordinances that restrict the location of houses of worship violate the First Amendment."

To read the full Post obituary, click here

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