Friday, June 26, 2009

You're Still Jewish – Even If Your Mother Isn't

THE INDEPENDENT: Judges rule that London school's strict admissions policy is in breach of Race Discrimination Act

Britain's Jewish faith schools may have to revise their admission policies after the Court of Appeal ruled that the widely used criteria for selecting pupils breached the Race Discrimination Act.

In a far-reaching judgment, three judges found the well known JFS (formerly the Jews' Free School) in Brent, north-west London, racially discriminated against a 12-year-old boy by denying him a place at the school because his mother was not a recognised Jew.

The ruling was immediately attacked by the Chief Rabbi, Jonathan Sachs, who said he supported an appeal to the House of Lords to try to overturn the judgment so that Jews could "be true to the Jewish faith" by upholding the existing criteria for membership of the Jewish religion. >>> By Robert Verkaik, Law Editor | Friday, June 26, 2009