Faizel Patel, 2016-04-20
The South African Centre for Religious Equality and Diversity (Sacred) is suing the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) for alleged discrimination over a ban on women singing at the annual Holocaust Memorial ceremony.
The case brought by SACRED and two South African Jews, Gilad Stern and Sarah Goldstein is expected to be heard this month, before this year’s ceremony on 5 May.
The Guardian is reporting that the plaintiffs in the case say the SAJBD which represents Jews and Jewish groups has banned female voices in the secular ceremony since 2005, in order not to offend a handful of rabbis who believe women singing before a mixed audience is immodest and should be prohibited.
“It’s appalling that a Jewish civil organisation is adopting a gender policy that is anathema to the modern world we live in. It’s a terrible insult to women,” Stern, an orthodox Jew, told the Guardian.
The plaintiffs want the court to declare the ban unlawful and unconstitutional under South Africa’s Equality Act.
In a statement, the SAJBD says the issue was “part of an ongoing conversation with the various sectors of the Jewish community, all of whom are deeply invested in the ceremony.
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