So grateful to Appeal Court for JFS ruling

This is just the type of naive and trivial comment that has led to the growth in liberal and progressive ideas in the UK Jewish Community at the expense and dilution of Central Orthodox ideals, ultimately leading to greater assimilation, decline in Jewish marriage and overall community numbers. What is the point of a Jewish school if not to educate Jewish children? You are either Jewish or you are not, traditionally the acid test of being Jewish under Halacha ie Jewish Law is whether the child has a Jewish mother. If not, the child is not Jewish, it really is that simple. The Chief Rabbi is right and must be supported in a concerted campaign so that the Law Lords overturn this ridiculous ruling.

Unfortunately, Jon_i_Cohen does not understand the issues here and believes that halacha is simple and that schools admissions criteria are also simple.

Firtly, in English law a school should not be allowed to admit children solely on the basis of their ethnicity, whetever halacha says about it; the Appeal Court has now confirmed this.

Secondly, the halacha Jon_i_Cohen quotes is not a cut-and-dried thing; it is subject to interpretation and Jon_i_Cohen has forgotten to mention that sincere converts are also Jews.

Thirdly, the children whose parents brought this case actually are Jewish, are shul members and in at least one of instances the mother is an observant Orthodox convert.

Fourthly, another key issue in this case is the right of a foundation school to determine its own entry criteria; JFS believes that as it is a United Synagogue school it should have the right to set its own criteria without any interference; but the same would therefore have to apply to a school that admitted, say, only children with Scottish grandfathers - and anyone can see that that would be wrong.

Fifthly, we are talking here about a state-funded school; perhaps if Jon_i_Cohen and others want a school that excludes children people on the grounds of ethnicity, they should fund a private school, paid for by parents of children who attend it, rather than funded mainly by parents whose children are not allowed to attend it.

Sixthly, hopefully no amount of 'campaigning' on this or any other issue would divert British judges and law lords from interpreting English law impartially.

The state should not be paying for faith schools. Why should people pay for schools they can't send their children to? If people want to indoctrinate their kids in faith schools and dogma, let them pay for it themselves.