JFS admissions policy unlawful
The Chief Rabbi has thrown his support behind JFS as the school launches an appeal against a court ruling which would force them to accept pupils who aren't recognised as halachically Jewish by the United Synagogue.
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According to the ruling, which overturned a High Court judgement last July that stated the policy was "entirely legitimate", that requirement for admission was based on ethnicity and therefore contravened the Race Relations Act.
The school claimed their policy was based on religious and not racial criteria.
Lawyer John Halford, who represented the family, said: "We welcome the strong statement by the court that the fundamental right to equality before the law, regardless of race, applies to the admissions criteria of a faith school."
Stating the school was "disappointed" with the ruling, JFS headteacher
Jonathan Miller said it would "seriously undermine the Jewish ethos of the school."
Enocuraging JFS to appeal the ruling, Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks said: "They have my full personal support and encouragement to use the necessary avenues available to them to maintain our historic rights to be true to our faith and a blessing to others regardless of their faith.
"The principles underlying membership of the Jewish faith have been maintained consistently throughout Judaism's long history, as has our duty to educate our children in the principles and practice of the faith itself.
"These principles have nothing to do with race and everything to do with religion. Ethnicity is irrelevant to Jewish identity, according to Jewish Law."
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