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Bindmans and Blackstone win Supreme Court victory in Jewish school case

I am of the Jewish faith, I was brought up in a very traditional orthodox manner, even though my mother converted (magired) through Reform Judaism. I was never refused entry to nursery, junior, or secondary school because of my ethnic makeup (and that was back in the late 70's early 80's) and I find it abhorrent in these modern times that this school could uphold such outdated beliefs. Based on the views and beliefs of halachic Judaism I would be considered "non-Jewish" yet I had my Bar Mitzvah at the Western Wall (with full traditional ceremony, tefillin and nothing Reform about it other than the Rabbi and the fact that I am technically Reform). I am proud of my parents and I applaud the boy’s father for pursuing this, although I doubt it will ever change the matrilineal requirement. Although I am no expert on this, I do believe it was once through the father's blood line that a child was considered Jewish, but was changed to the mother, since there was no way of tracing absent father’s ethnicity! When all is said and done, it's bad enough having anti-semitism in the world, without Jewish people fighting amongst themselves in this way, over a school's selection criteria, bringing a wider awareness of the view of Jewish ethnicity by the JFS and United Synagogue into focus. Without knowing the family, at the end of the day is the boy any less Jewish than his other class mates. I think not.

18-Dec-2009

2:52 pm