Ultra-orthodox Jewish schools U-turn on female driving ban
The two London Jewish schools that banned women from driving have backed down following a warning from the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
North London’s ultra-orthodox Jewish Belz sect has back-tracked its decision to ban mothers from driving their children to school after a letter from the Equality and Human Rights Commission warned them that their ban is discriminatory and “unlawful under the Equality Act 2010.”
Just days after the warning, Ahron Klein, chief executive of the two segregated schools suggests the ban was made without approval from governors and has thus become void.
“The head teacher sent out the letter on behalf of the spiritual heads of the community, who had not taken into account the implications of such a policy,” he said in a statement.
He added: “The school believes that women have a choice about whether they want to drive or not, and our policy is to accept all children who are members of our community, which we have been doing for the last 40 years.”
The ban was initially initiated by the Israel-based Rabbi Yissachar Dov Rakeach, the spiritual leader of the ultra-orthodox sect, who said any child who is driven to school by their mothers will be turned away at the gates.
In his letter on Wednesday, chair of the commission, Baroness O’Neill said : “In our view, the actions of the proprietor of the two schools in question are likely to constitute direct discrimination (contrary to section 13) by association with the sex of another person (in this instance their mothers, when driving them to school).”
But an earlier statement revealed on behalf of the women affected by the ban, suggested they felt “extremely privileged and valued to be part of a community where the highest standards of refinement, morality and dignity are respected”.
“We believe that driving a vehicle is a high pressured activity where our values may be compromised by exposure to selfishness, road-rage, bad language and other inappropriate behaviour,” they said.
The Belz is one of the most prominent Hasidic sects originating from 18th century Ukraine but has established its headquarters in Israel following the Second World War.
SU/SKL
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