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How is to not be Jewish at GDS?
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Anonymous
| Would be great if the thread stayed civil because this isn't about anti-Semitism. Our family is complex in its origins and from all over the place. We don't do much in the way of religion but do observe a secular Eid. For cultural tradition. I hear GDS's student body is heavily Jewish, and also very big on Christmas and major Jewish holidays. Apparently there are 4 or 5 major assemblies for the lower school and they are limited to Thanksgiving, Christmas, Passover and two others that are non-religious. Can any GDS parents talk about how they feel about this? We were surprised because we thought it would be more non-denominational and that kids wouldn't have to deal with the religion thing at all. But if they are dealing with it than why the huge focus on Christianity and Judaism? I had hoped GDS would be more balanced because they really talk the talk regarding pluralism and diversity. |
Anonymous
Being balanced about pluralism--including religious pluralism, which is a hard fact in this country--means exposing your children to multiple religious beliefs and not hiding them from your children. GDS, as you probably know, does not endorse a curriculum that shies away from social realities (age appropriately, of course). Rather, GDS's educators trust children with knowledge of diversity. They believe that tolerance comes out of understanding, not ignorance. Among GDS's founders were anthropologists, who believed that children should be taught religions as they are, rather than some artificial amalgamation of holidays that happen to be around the same time each year. So, during the school year there is a "real" Christmas show and a "real" Passover (with kosher food) because these are two traditions that are widely present among the student body. The school itself was started to educate children in an integrated environment, before Brown v. Board, so that Jewish, Black, and white-Christian (and whatever else religion/race children) could learn together. This is why you have a lot of Jewish children still at GDS (besides the fact that the two other top academic schools in the area, both Sidwell and the Cathedral Schools, are Christian). There are also, BTW, a number of Muslim children at GDS as well. Although we are not Muslim, I would be willing to venture that Muslim families are comfortable sending their children to GDS because of the strong emphasis on acceptance of religious diversity. DC goes to GDS, and the history and its carefully reasoned approach to diversity (religious, ethnic, and sexual) taken by the school were two of the big reasons why we chose to send DC there. The curriculum and philosophy are, IMO, very well thought out and make sense to us. Ultimately, you have to decide what you are most comfortable with for your child and family. |
Anonymous
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It is hard not to see antisemitism in your post when you seem to be concerned with the heavy Jewish population at GDS.
This always seem to be code for "why do they have so many Jews. Perhaps you need to find a different school. |
Anonymous
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10:32 here. Forgot to add that we are a religiously diverse family, too. We are not Jewish, though.
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Anonymous
| DS attends GDS--we aren't Jewish. Love the school, academics and atmosphere. |
Anonymous
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OP,
Your subject line belies your question. Perhaps you should have asked what's it like to be non-Judeo-Christian. |
Anonymous
| Not as bad as being Jewish at Prep. |
Anonymous
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I wonder if there are any privates that have no religious assemblies or celebrations. That's what they get to do by being private, and I think its a benefit (I say this as a Jewish parent whose child goes -- very comfortably -- to a Cathedral school). It seems to me that if you want no reference to any of the dominant religions, your best bet is public school.
I am also not sure why your subject line was about "being" Jewish and not attending a school that refers to religion, which seems to be your stated concern. |
Anonymous
| If you dont want to hear about god or have a focus on religion, you should look at Landon or Sidwell. Sidwell, while Quaker, is spiritual and about good values rather than about a specific religion. Landon is non denominational. with a religiously diverse student body. |
Anonymous
| I think the cultural makeup/approach to holidays at GDS are wonderful, but if what you are seeing/experiencing is a red flag for you, perhaps it is best to look elsewhere. |
Anonymous
| The OP seems to presume that GDS is comprised of mostly Jewish kids. Is this true? |
Anonymous
Don't Sidwell students still have to go to meeting? Quaker meetings, btw, may not have a preacher, but meeting is a religious practice. |
Anonymous
| I don't read the poster as the least bit anti-semetic. I had similar concerns about sending my son to a catholic school. Obviously, i wasn't anti-catholic or I wouldn't have sent my son there. Still, I didn't know much about how the school handled cultural issues so I worried if it he could fit in seamlessly as a Jew. Everyone is aware of teh differences but it has worked out well. GDS seems to be the kind of school that honors and celebrates differences so why shouldn't she be able to ask the question? |
Anonymous
There are a lot of Jewish kids compared to NCS, St. Albans, and Sidwell (which are Protestant), but I would not say that they make up a majority. At least in my observations of the Lower School. |
Anonymous
| totally disagree about sidwell being protestant. i think you will find a larger group of jewish students at sidwell compared to ncs and st albans. |