It's the right decision for the community

It is for these reasons that Liberal Judaism is at variance with the traditional ways of defining “Who is a Jew?” This might have remained a fundamental, even academic, but certainly not necessarily public, matter, had it not been for the rules of admission of JFS.

The JFS chose to test “Jewishness” for admissions by reference to the Office of the Orthodox Chief Rabbi of the United Synagogue.

Liberal Judaism considers this a politically-motivated decision and one which is inappropriate for a state-funded school which ought be serving the whole Jewish community without discrimination. This matter has been a self-inflicted wound, yet one we can all learn from.

It has risked the Jewish community being portrayed as more concerned with petty, territorial squabbles than providing the best of Jewish education to the widest number of Jews.

Liberal Judaism plays its full role in the British Jewish community, and hopes that the community can in the future demonstrate its pluralism, without recourse to the courts.