UK: Jewish school accused of racism

LONDON – England's top Jewish school has been accused of racial discrimination after refusing to grant a place to an 11-year-old boy whose mother converted to Judaism but was not recognized as Jewish by the Office of the Chief Rabbi in London, The Guardian reported Wednesday.

According to the report, the high court heard how the Jewish Free School (JFS) in north London refused to grant a place to "M" because its religious authority ruled the boy's mother was not born Jewish and had not converted to a branch of Judaism recognized by the body that offers guidance to the school on a pupil or parent's Jewish status.

The Orthodox movement insists the faith be passed through matrilineal descent. In the case of M, who cannot be named for legal reasons, his father was considered Jewish but his mother, born a Roman Catholic, was not.

The high court on Wednesday also began discussing another lawsuit filed against JFS by Kate and David Lightman, whose daughter had been barred from the school because the Chief Rabbi's Office refused to recognize Kate's conversion, although she has been head of English studies at the school for 17 years.

The application of children of other families which consider themselves Jewish have also been rejected by the school.

JSF, considered the biggest school of its kind in Europe (with 2,000 students), has rejected the racial bias claims, saying that priority is given to children whose mothers were born Jewish.

Ynetnews contributed to this report