MICHIGAN (JNS) — For the last decade, the family of 18-year-old Minaleah Koffron says it shared advance notice of Jewish holiday schedules with the Portage Public Schools—a school district in southern Michigan almost halfway between Chicago and Detroit—via letters, phone calls and in-person meetings.
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Portage Northern High School still scheduled this year’s graduation on Friday, May 26—the first day of Shavuos. The holiday starts on the evening of Thursday, May 25 and lasts through sundown on Saturday, May 27.
“The message was and remains clear—my religious identity is not as important as the identities of Christian kids at my school. In the eyes of the school district, I am a lesser citizen,” said Koffron, who will have to be a no-show at her own graduation. She also had to skip the junior prom, which was scheduled on April 6, the first day of Passover.
When the Koffron family met with Nate Ledlow on March 3 to discuss the problem, the interim principal said he worried about getting “300 angry emails” from other parents, according to the family. He said he would look into other dates.
In a follow-up meeting on March 8, the Koffron family alleges, Ledlow acknowledged that he had never intended to consider switching dates and wouldn’t do so barring an order from the district superintendent.
“Even if the decision to schedule graduation on a Jewish holy day was an oversight, the decision to keep it is not,” said Koffron.
She has sued, alleging that the principal violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as well as the state and U.S. constitutions. A judge granted a restraining order with arguments slated for May 12.
Stop twisting the arms of the non-Jews to confine to your Jewish needs. This is not our land we are visiting here. Freedom of religion means you can express yourself religiously without infringing on others. Besides it’s not like Yom kipper or Rosh hoshana or Pesach which most American jews celebrate and a majority of people taking off would cause an effect on the institution they are attending.
Why should a public school accommodate a religious holiday? There’s no case here
This would have not happened on a Jewish school.
I don’t get it. If she can go to the prom on a regular day, why can’t she go on Pesach?
Isn’t it a good thing that they couldn’t go to prom? why does VIN paint it as a negative thing? I thought this was a “frum” site! Also, if you ever forget that the goyim don’t actually like us, Hashem will send a goy to remind you.
I see all the buttons on reader’s comments but where is the button to report so on vin itself?
Please report Lashon Harah when you see it by clicking the “Report” button
Good luck!!
This is no doubt a leftist Jew who will not or has never celebrated Shavuos (reform does not even acknowledge the holiday) but wants to make a point that Jews need to be recognized and accommodated. This will only stir up additional anti semitism. I wonder what this student does on school events on Saturday? Maybe I am totally wrong but for the frum kids I knew going to public school you just didn’t go in Yom Tov. Graduation or not