The normally respectful tone of LookJed conversations seems to be missing here. In the hope adding some nuance, can we begin by saying that the answer to this question should not be easy or simple? We can all agree that we want to give every Jewish child a Jewish education and in theory we never want the child to suffer from the decisions of their parents, whether they be not observing Shabbat, financial crimes, drug use, or family structure. School culture and student exposure do however matter. For this reason, some schools do not accept students from families that do not observe Shabbat. We seem to be stuck between values.
Maybe schools that accept children from non-Shabbat observing families should also accept children from non-traditional families. On the other hand, in contemporary times, a child living in a homosexual family structure is different than a child coming from a less observant home. The raging issue of the day is LGTBQ rights, which many religious communities view as an attack on the family Some schools and parents might want greater protection from outside influences on these controversies. At the same time, educators also need to be aware that we are losing Orthodox Jews who want the Orthodox community to be more inclusive.
Shouldn't the answer be fact-based and community dependent? Shouldn't it also depend on whether the homosexual parents acknowledge their difficult and painful reality or want to promote their lifestyle as a good, therefore undermining the school's values? Even if we do accept these children, do we need to describe it a "beautiful," which seems to denigrate those that would make a different decision? Each community differs in its priorities and educational concerns, so each school should make the decision most in line with its values.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/21/2017 08:56AM by mlb.
