Rabbis Seek to Postpone Spraying : Medfly: Councilman Wachs joins appeal for governor to halt tonight’s malathion treatment in Valley so Jews can walk to services.

City Councilman Joel Wachs and four San Fernando Valley rabbis appealed Thursday to Gov. George Deukmejian to postpone tonight’s Valley malathion spraying, protesting that “insensitive” scheduling is forcing thousands of Jews to choose between a potential health risk and attending Sabbath services.

But an official overseeing the state’s anti-Medfly project said the Department of Food and Agriculture would make no exceptions--especially after the barrage of criticism it received for exempting the Crystal Cathedral in Orange County.

The Jewish leaders had angrily noted at their news conference the exemption given the landmark Protestant church in Garden Grove. The Crystal Cathedral, headquarters of evangelist Robert Schuller, was omitted from a malathion spraying area Jan. 25 because 2,700 ministers were attending a leadership conference.

Wachs told the news conference at Temple Adat Ari El in North Hollywood that he could not “think of a greater insensitivity” than Friday night’s spraying. “It flies in the face of time-honored practices.”

“For the first time, religious freedom has become an issue in the Medfly program,” he wrote in a letter faxed to the governor.

A spokeswoman for Deukmejian said the letter had just been received Thursday and that his office had no immediate comment.

But Dr. Isi Siddiqui, an assistant director of the Department of Food and Agriculture, had rejected Wachs’ request on Tuesday. He said Thursday the department is still smarting from its last attempt to accommodate a religious group.

“After the Crystal Cathedral, we had lots of adverse publicity--so much so we had to decide that this was a one-time exemption and would not happen again,” he said. “We learned a difficult lesson. We tried to be good guys, but we got a lot of criticism from others saying we were playing favorites.”

Siddiqui added that Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays are generally exempt from malathion spraying as a concession to weekend activities.

North Hollywood, Sun Valley, and Studio City--an area Wachs said has at least nine synagogues--are part of a 47-square-mile area of the Valley to be sprayed tonight. The spraying was rescheduled because of Monday’s rain.

About 250,000 Jews live in the Valley, according to the Jewish Federation Council of Greater Los Angeles.

Wachs said the area includes at least three Orthodox synagogues, whose members walk to services because they are forbidden to drive on the Sabbath. Many Conservative Jews also walk to services out of respect for tradition, said the rabbis, who noted that the state has advised residents to stay indoors during sprayings.

Although Food and Agriculture officials insist malathion is harmless to humans in the dosages being applied, opponents claim it irritates eyes and throats and may cause unknown, long-term harm.

About 20 mothers attended Thursday’s news conference with their toddlers, carrying signs such as “Don’t Spray Where Our Children Play.”