When is a Jew not a Jew?
Updated on 04 March 2008
More4 News reports on the row over school admissions which is dividing Britain's Jewish community.
When is a Jew really Jewish? Parents have brought a case against the Jewish Free School for racial discrimination - after their son was rejected entrance on the grounds that his mother - although a convert to Judaism - was not properly Jewish.
The Orthodox school was following the definition laid down by the Chief Rabbi. His court - the Beth Din - states that conversion has to include sincerity in practice - and they judged that in this case the mother's conversion was not sincere - despite the fact that the boy in question is an observant practising Jew.
It's a case that could have a big impact on similar cases, and on faith schools in general.
Earlier we spoke to Rabbi Yitzchak Schochet from the Mill Hill Synagogue and Rabbi Danny Rich - the Chief Executive of Liberal Judaism to ask why the school shouldn't simply be allowed to accept whomever it wants?
