LONDON, England — A Jewish school was accused in the High Court of racially discriminating against an 11-year-old boy.
The father of “M”, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said he was “appalled” that his son had been declared “not an 'approved' Jew” entitled to attend the Jewish Free School (JFS).
Confrontation in England: Who is a Jew?
LONDON, England — A Jewish school was accused in the High Court of racially discriminating against an 11-year-old boy.
The father of “M”, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said he was “appalled” that his son had been declared “not an ‘approved’ Jew” entitled to attend the Jewish Free School (JFS).
In a case with wide implications for other religious schools, his lawyers asked a judge to declare that the school’s admissions policy was unlawfully based, at least in part, “on ethnic origins – rather than faith or religion”.
Dinah Rose QC, appearing for the family, said the “exceptionally good and therefore oversubscribed” school in north-west London rejected M’s application to become a pupil.
Because there were more children applying than places available, the state-maintained school always gave preference to applicants whose “Jewish status” was confirmed by the United Synagogue (US).
A child’s Jewish identity was always inherited through the mother, said Ms Rose.
The US, which represented the Jewish Orthodox movement, accepted that M’s father was Jewish, but not his mother, who was born a Roman Catholic and converted to the Jewish religion before her son’s birth, but not to the Orthodox movement.
Mother and father were now divorced, and M lived with his father, and they both actively participated at their local synagogue and in local Jewish life as members of the Masorti, a “progressive traditional” Jewish movement.
But in the eyes of the United Synagogue the 11-year-old was not Jewish because his mother was not accepted as Jewish.
That led to the JFS giving preference to other children, even though they were “committed atheists”, but whose mothers were Jewish at birth. Ms Rose argued this amounted to racial discrimination.
CM
Whoever that rabbi is, did a great job. Is he Chabad?
SKE
I HAVE NEVER SEEN IN MY LIFE, ANYONE WHO HAS MADE A GREATER KIDUSH HASHEM, THAN THIS WELL VERSED, LITERATE, WELL TEMPERED JEW. HE MADE THAT MAN LOOK LIKE AN IDIOT.
HIS CLOSING STATEMENT ROCKS!!
“JEWISH CHILDREN BY WHAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN HISTORICAL TRADITIONAL DEFINITION OF JEWISH, NOT WAHT HAS BECOME A NEW INNOVATIVE DEFINITION OF JUDAISM IN THE LAST 40 50 YEARS”.
IF THEY WIN THE CASE, AND THEY WILL! THIS WILL SLAP ISRAEL IN THE FACE! FOR THOSE WHO KNOW THE HISTORY OF ‘MIHU YEHUDI’ IN ERETZYISROEL
YBUK
Yes he is chabad!! his father is Emmanuel Schochet from Ontario (listen to his lectures on chabad.org) and his uncle is the rosh yeshiva of the chabad yeshiva in LA
Only a lubavitcher could speak so eloquently on “me yehudi”
Yosef
Rabbi Yitzchak Schochet is Rabbi of United Synagogue of Mill Hill, London.
His father is the famous Rabbi J. Immanuel Schochet.
The actual source that he refers to is Devarim 7:4.
dovid
his name is rabbi yitzchok schochet
anon
whatabout just onverting this child ‘kehalacha’?
Rabb Schochet did a phenominal job!
I would have punched that reformed rabbi in the nose! Where is this Rabbi Schochet from?
Shmuli
Rabbi shcochet should be hired as Lubavitch spoke person.
Zuby
I would love to see and hear more of this Rabbi Schochet..
He does not only qoute “mivtzoim” rhetoric but actually knowes line and verse..
Excellent
mendle
that rabbi is chabad
M-M
Did someone ask if he is Chabad? Are you kidding me? He’s probably the most famous Chabad Rabbi in Europe. He’s been on the cover of Kfar Chabad magazine and has given many workshops at the kinus hashluchim. As a fellow shliach in another part of Europe I can tell you it’s his voice that rings loudest whenever there are matters of Jewish concern that affect us Jews in Europe.
Dovid L.
his name is Yitzchok Schochet son of Rabbi Dr Immanuel Schochet. He’s as chabad as they get but dont know why he’s never known on the US speaker circuit.
he is chabad
yes he is chabad and he is amazing!!
Michoel
He is a Chabad Rabbi, he is Immanuel Shochet’s son i think.
What about the boy?
Dosen’t anyone feel that despite the questionable conversion of the mother, the overriding point is that the child in question was described as observant, and he (and the father) wants to attend this school. To celebrate the victory of “who is a Jew” comes at the loss of a sincere child who suffers through no fault of his own. Perhaps the same vigor should be made to reach out to this child that he might convert
and be the Jew that he sincerely wants to be; a“rightious convert”.
Need Clarification
He is Chabad. I would like to get the quote straight. Where does it say in the Torah about a Jew being of a Jewish mother. He said at the end of Vo’eschanan / Deutoronomy chapter 6. Those two places are not the same and I’m not 100% sure what the proof is from either place. If someone could clarify…
Know the Rabbi
He is a Shliach in London
Avi
This Rabbi is Chabad.
He is from the well know Schochat family from Toronto. I beleive he may be the son of Rabbi Dr. Emanuel Schochat from Toronto. And yes; he was very eloquent powerful and polished in his arguments.
impressed
That Orthodox rabbi was great! The other ‘rabbi’ looks more like a historian…
sholom
very impresive ….we should use him for other such debates with lubavitch….BERGER perhaps…..
London
to 1.
yes he is chabad. his name is Rabbi Yitzchak Shochet (so of Rabbi Emanuel Shochet – Toronto Canada) Shliach to Mill Hill, England.
asher zelig
who cares if he’s lubavitch or not, it just matters that a frum rabbi, owned the liberal “rabbi” (reform outside of america). way to go!
Sholom
To: needclarification
The correct pasuk is in va’eschanan 7:4 and Rashi brings out the limud from the pasuk
Rony L
Dearest RabBi Shochet, you do a remarkable job i was unable to view the end of that interview, but the way you conducted yourself and an extreme hostile situation were you have a so called jew and a goy against you on national TV live, is an extremly intimedating situation.
So to Rabbi Shochet Kol Hakavod to you and may continue in this battle of concuring this topic of Mihu yehudi a mission that was and still is so dear to out Rebbe.
Shabbat Shalom!
ShmuliT
I didn’t notice a yarmulkah on so called “Rabbi” Danny Rich’s head?
It must have fallen off his head as he was going on air.
dw
he is really amazin gthis rabbi shochet. young, eloquent, coherent and contained….
he rocks!
growing up in England
When we were growing up jfs was the equivalent of a public school that is for jews, but the kids acted exactly like the goyim. If the 11 year old boy is religious why would he want to go to jfs? There are so many other jewish schools in London that are for frum kids and government funded.
chaim
for those not up to date on halachic matters like conversion i will let you in on a little secret
you cant convert an 11yr old
don’t u think that idea crossed someones mind before this became an international fiasco
Mendle
Re:
chaim wrote:
…..you cant convert an 11yr old…..
=======================================
You can convert an 11 year old boy “al das Bais Din” and then at 13 the child decides. I am sure if the mother wanted to become religious they would give her a gioris and the child.
Milhouse
To Chaim, who wrote “you cant convert an 11yr old”:
Yes, you can, if the parents want it. Maasim bechol yom. And if the parents were really observant, they would already have done so long before applying to the school.
Chani
Chaim, no one is trying to convert an 11 year old, the mother ‘converted’ before the kid was born – read the article.
“Growing up in England”; the kid is an active member of Masorti, which I think keeps even more watered-down Judasim than Reform. They are not looking for a really frum school.
I just think it is really ironic that the News place was showing pictures of ‘ultra-orthodox’ chassidim when reporting this, when JFS is a mixed school, where most kids are not even remotely frum and the only subject that the teachers do not need to be professionally qualified for is Religious Studies. I know because a friend of mine is a religious studies teacher there.
josh
beautiful. jfs rox. its a great school it stands for what it belives in. i dont think any other chabad school would stick up for whats right like jfs did.
Who is WHo
Seems this Rabbi Schochet is part of the illustrious Schochet Family. Rebbetzin Hadokov’s maiden name was Schochet, as was Reb. Blau. The Schochet’s hail from Toronto Canada and are a family of 10 siblings, each gifted with dynamic personalities. Amongst the brothers, they became world renown as Torah and community leaders.
Most noted amongst them:
Rav Dovid Schochet is a revered poisek both for local anash and world wide anash.
Rav Immanuel Schochet authored numerous seforim, nearly every Chabad home possesses at least one of his seforim.
Rav Ezra Schochet is the “Rosh” of L.A. – a leading Yeshiva for our bochurim.
The well known Rav Elisha Schochet, and the legendary Rav Ovadia (“Obie”) Schochet, and the community leader, Reb Yossef Schochet.
Amongst the 100’s of grandchildren, they are an army of Rabbonim, Roshei Yeshivos, Askonim, shluchim, and authors of seforim.
One illustrious grandchild is the famed Rabbi Akiva Wagner, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshva Lubavitch of Toronto.
Indeed, this Rabbi Schochet of London is “geza” from powerful roots.
Dovid
Min Hashamayim the “liberal” Jew has taken his case to a goyish court during Adar, when cases come out good for Jews. In this case, it will come out in favor of the kosher Jew, not the confused one.
Curiouser
I saw what Who’s Who wote and I can’t believe that one family can have so much greatness. Pray tell, what did they do right to be zoche to such wonderful offspring??
Wow
Great Job Rabbi Schochet!!
Just to mention this is the same family from that famous Rebba story in which the little baby girl fell into a tub of boiling water and thanks to the Rebba’s brachos went on to have k”H sixteen children. (I believe this is the Newman family in Long Beach CA – the mother is the youngest schochet child)
Mendel
“Schochet is Rabbi of United Synagogue of Mill Hill, London” is that a conservitive shul or a Young Israel- type?
Sharon Zaltzvasser
I love this guy. Keep shtark and ignore those who mock or detrack. I told you I’ll comment!!
Boston Tea Party
If you live among the Brits – you become one.
Aliza
Father brings his son to a Rebbe, “Dos is mein zun!” Rebbe replies, “Dos is nisht a zun, es iz a levana.” vd”l.
Hanan
Too bad he got the pasuk wrong. It would have been impressive if he knew Torah a little better.