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Family & Education

I was 'the only Jew' in the classroom - and loved every second of it

October 29, 2015 11:20
Rosa Doherty (third from right, first row) in her Year One school photo

ByRosa Doherty, Rosa Doherty

4 min read

If I told you that I had been the only Jewish person in my class throughout my entire school career, the idea might fill you with dread.

You might think, "I bet that was hard" or wonder, "How did you cope with no Jewish friends?" Or worse: "What about the antisemitism?"

As the fight to secure places at Jewish schools has this year been fiercer than ever, some parents have been left with an "unbearable choice": send their child to a secular school, or else take the drastic measure of keeping them at home until a coveted place at a Jewish secondary becomes available.

This has become even more problematic owing to the relatively recent but rapid growth of Jewish primary schools. Nowadays, unprecedented numbers of Jewish children are attending faith-based primaries in their early years. It is inevitable that most parents will want them to continue their education into a Jewish secondary.