Religious equality groups, South African Jews sue organization for alleged gender discrimination

Two South African Jews, Gilad Stern and Sarah Goldstein, along with an interfaith group, the South African Centre for Religious Equality and Diversity (SACRED) are suing a South African Jewish organization for alleged gender discrimination against women.

According to the South African Jewish Report, the papers for the lawsuit against The Jewish Board of Deputies (JBD) in Cape Town were filed last April 15 in the Equality Court of the Western Cape High Court.

The case is expected to be heard on April ahead of the scheduled Yom Hashoah - Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony - on May 5, according to another article by the Guardian. The JBD prohibited women from singing at the annual ceremony or other secular communal events since its enactment in 2005. This order was put into action to prevent offending rabbis and other Orthodox Jews thereby resulting in their non-attendance at the service.

It was reported that some Orthodox beliefs view women's voices as immodest, based on a Talmudic dictum referred to as Kol Isha. The widely Orthodox practice of Kol Isha prohibits men from hearing women's voices during religious practice. However, many individuals and organizations have disputed Kol Isha's interpretation and eventual application.

Stern said, "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." The plaintiffs' call to action intend for the declaration of the ban as unlawful under South Africa's Equality Act.

James Lomberg, executive director of SACRED, said, "It is particularly upsetting where such a ban is put in place (on Yom Hashoah), which should stand for all time as a warning against the perils of discrimination."

According to the JBD's official website, its mission is to promote relationships between the Jewish communities of South Africa and the rest of its constituents through mutual respect and goodwill and will not tolerate prejudice nor discrimination. It is a secular organization that represents other Jewish organizations and communities.

Rabbi Julia Margolis, chairman of SACRED, said that the organization felt it was a "moral obligation" to challenge JBD's obvious gender discrimination. She added that they have attempted to engage with the JBD in the past to compromise and make suggestions. However, the JBD continued with the ban for the last decade.

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South Africa lawsuit, South Africa Jewish Organization, Legal News, discrimination case, gender-bias

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