Lauren Gordon says her daughter’s school in North Texas asked her to prove she was Jewish to be excused for a Yom Kippur absence, CBSDFW reported.
“I received a response back that says ‘Please send documentation from the religious establishment you attended,’ ” Gordon said. “That response basically told me that they didn’t believe that we were Jewish. That they needed proof. Honestly, it upset me just as much as it made me angry.”
After she posted about it on Facebook, she found out that other schools in the area also were asking for proof of Jewishness in order to excuse children from school for Jewish holidays.
“It is surprising because that has never been a request from schools until recently,” Andrew Paley, Senior Rabbi at Temple Shalom said. ”I’m not sure what to make of it yet. It’d be interesting to know its origins and how it came to be.”
Gordon said that after she complained to the school’s principal she “formally apologized, said she did not mean to offend us in any way and moving forward this will never be an issue at her school while she is there.”
The Garland school district’s handbook states that said that absences for all religious holidays are excused.
Gordon said she’s now on a mission to make sure all school districts in North Texas drop the requirement that parents prove a child is Jewish in order to miss school for the holidays.
“If I have to go to every one to get them to get this I will do that,” she said.
SOURCE: CBSDFW
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18 Responses
Of course she is Jewish! Don’t all Jews have carved pumpkins in their homes?
Why would anyone doubt a random claim by parents that their child missed public school because of yom kippur, yet came to school on Rosh Hashonah, Sukkos, and is mechalel shabbos in public?
I think even G-d would demand proof of her Jewishness.
First and foremost, I think the school district was in the wrong for asking to “prove” that you are Jewish. With that said and within my single opinion and guess, it would be safe to believe that for the other 364 days of the year, the child and her family don’t give off the slightest impression that they are Jewish. My first thought was, is the child even halachically Jewish (is her mom Jewish?)? Second, with their Temple writing a letter, besides for membership do they ever participate with the Temple (meaning, will the student attend services on YK, or attend more than once a year?). Third, they must be so far removed from Judaism that no one had a clue they were of the Jewish faith (kosher or “kosher style”, shabbos, other yomtovs throughout the year, a bat mitzvah party, a Jewish wedding ceremony with colleagues attending, a mezuzah on their door, ANYTHING?) – I mean, my non-religious brother-in-law doesn’t wear a yarmulka at work, doesn’t keep kosher, doesn’t keep shabbos- but somehow, someway and (understandably so) they know he is Jewish. This family in the article is R’L sadly so far removed, G-D willing they only go upwards.
Looking at the picture, I can understand the Texas school districts request. There is a pumpkin on the side table that is a symbol of a pagan festival that was adopted by the Christian religion.
Is she Jewish, Christian or a Celtic pagan? The Texas school district wants to know.
Just saying.
Do they have an issue of people who are probably not Jews observing Jewish holidays? Do they have a problem with people making up their own religion and claiming excessive holidays, and then applied a policy that anyone taking off for a religious holidays needs more documentation?
In general, the parent’s “excuse note” should be enough. I suspect something else is going on, and this is part of some broader policy, not one focused on Jews.
I can’t “pause” this video so it is hard to read, but it looks like letter the school sent was hand-written? And the mother’s letter looks like the holiday was for 9-19-2018? Anyone have a clue as to what this is about?
Boruch Hashem. Now a lot of other Jewish students will see that a Jewish student took off for Yom Kippur. The mother shouldn’t be insulted that they want proof that her daughter is Jewish – it should be a source of pride for her.It’s not like when a lady was asked to prove that she was American Indian.
Mommy, I’d normally agree with such a statement but the problem is this family appears very different. On the surface, there is no other inkling that they are even Jewish, or participate in even a traditional Jewish lifestyle. At the very least, she may be a goy married to a Jewish husband, we just don’t know.
dullradiance,
I heard a story where a boy and girl came knocking on a Jewish person’s door and when asked what they were dressed up as the boy said a lawyer and the girl said a bubby
You can’t get any more Jewish answers than that
I am wondering as well that why a Jewish family celebrate “Halloween” which has witch origins in Halloween and it is first day of year for witches!!! I live in a multi-cultural neighborhood, most neighbors in this neighborhood are from different nations, Indians, Chinese, …..!! I heard that one family is Jewish in our neighborhood, my extreme happiness and excitement turned into sadness when I saw the only home in this neighborhood which has extemre scary Halloween decorations!!! Outside in the yard and around the home!! Is their home that I was looking forward to meet the family soon !!! Now I feel scared instead!!!!!! If we are not suppose to celebrate Christmas, then why decorate our homes with anything resembles witches during Halloween!!!!
I hope and pray we all wake up and come to study Holy Torah, not following any celebrations of any nations,
other than our own. If we could make kosher pumpkin pies or cook kosher pumpkin soup or… why carve the pumpkins and ruin a food source instead!!!! Following nations!!!!
Thanks in advance for any suggestions or guidance.
wow. a chutzpah. she puts those goyishe symbols out and expects the school to believe her!!! people these days. – and she complains about it!!!
I’m NOT
I’m NOT bothered too much by this goiyeshe school district acting like jerks with respect to seeking “proof” of any claimed religious affiliation. They were wrong, immediately acknowledged it and agreed to forego any such efforts in the future. I AM bothered by the postings here challenging the yiddeshkeit of a family for having a pumpkin in their home. I’m glad they took their kids out of school on yom Kippur even if that is their only visible manifestation of yiddeshkeit. I’m sure there are thousands of jewish families whose kids are in MO yeshivos and whose parents daven at MO shuls and probably allow their kids to go trick or treating on Halloween, not seeing it as a “pagan” holiday. We are all so quick to judge other yidden rather than finding it positive that they are willing to identify with even a few threads of observance. Those few threads can lead to much more over the long-term
Nothing new. In my day such letters were required for sabbath-observer tests. Non-Jewish public school students, where no letter was required, often skipped school on Jewish holidays. One French teacher derisively asked Avez-vous coverti?. When one guy replied in English that he decided to try it out after his Jewish friends told him how great it is she made him translate it into French.
Not arguing with the obvious, that haloween began as a pagan holiday. Unfortunately, many of our Jewish brothers and sisters are either completely ignorant of it’s origins, or ignorant of the ramifications of celebrating anything pagan. They just see it as an American cultural thing.
While very sad, I would not use that as “proof” that she is not Jewish.
Gadolhadorah: You are the only one to see this in the proper light. The other comments here are horrible!
Gadolhadorah, I understand what you are saying but this goes beyond the pumpkin and the Halloween decorations. Nothing wrong with pumpkins, as I bought one last week to cut, cook, and prepare as a side for dinner last week. The problems are as I and others here originally asked/said 1. Is the student or mother halachically Jewish? (We determine this by the mother being Jewish); as it’s possible the husband/father was the Jewish family member. 2. I understand that the family isn’t Orthodox, but is this really the first time they requested off for a Jewish holiday? What about Rosh Hashana, Pesach, a Friday night/ Saturday? What about Yom Kippur from prior years? Question two is very troubling to me. 3. Even the VERY secular Jews I work with (including the ones that aren’t halachically Jewish) have shown an inkling that they are Jewish, such as a picture of a menorah during Channuka, a bar/bat mitzvah in the family, a friendly joke about Manischewitz matzo or gefilte fish before Pesach, mezuzah on front door of home, a reform/conservative shabbos or yomtov event which they had to leave early or take PTO— SOMETHING! ANYTHING!. Question three bothers me because this family must be sadly so far removed from Judaism that others they encounter every day with don’t know they are Jewish. You fairly can’t compare ANY of those questions to your average typical Modern Orthodox child today.
She’s a yutz. Big deal. Just send in a note from your rabbi or synagogue or Jewish religious organization. Stop acting like we’re not in golus and remember we’re guests in a non-Jewish country while we await the coming of Moshiach. Stop trying to boss the gentiles and make them hate us more.