How is to not be Jewish at GDS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Real estate owned by the schools in question. Just like universities, churches, the federal government, and various non-profits own prime real estate in the District and remain tax exempt even though they serve and employ people from other jurisdictions.

Real estate is owned by property owners and they still get taxed. Real estate is owned by businesses and they get taxed. Your point? Again if the jursidiction realizes that these schools serve no benefit for DC residents they can go ahead and tax them. I hate coming home and having my driveway blocked by cars with MD plates.

My point is that there are lots of tax-exempt organizations in DC that don't primarily serve DC residents. Why single out private primary/secondary non-parochial schools and impose a special litmus test (your 70% rule)? I see now that your answer is because I live near one, it's a PITA, and my DCs don't benefit from its existence.

It's a stretch to say that these schools "serve no benefit for DC residents"-- certainly some of us wouldn't live in the District if we didn't have great/convenient private school options. On that level, local privates help attract and retain affluent tax-paying residents and take the burden of educating many of them off of DC government. And, of course, they provide jobs.

[Anonymous]

Sidwell LS is in Bethesda. Should it give preference to MD residents?

[Anonymous]

23:00: First, your "in Rome" analogy would've been more apt if you had oicked Jerusalem: Tel Aviv is probably the most secular city in Israel. Second,and moreoever, your "in Rome" analogy works really well in Iran and Saudi Arabia. Is that the kind of model you advocate? Declare all non-believers apostates and, harkening back to our nation's own Salem legacy, burn them at the stake?

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous]23:00: First, your "in Rome" analogy would've been more apt if you had oicked Jerusalem: Tel Aviv is probably the most secular city in Israel. Second,and moreoever, your "in Rome" analogy works really well in Iran and Saudi Arabia. Is that the kind of model you advocate? Declare all non-believers apostates and, harkening back to our nation's own Salem legacy, burn them at the stake?[/quote]

Duh, the whole word knows that Jerusalem is not exactly a party town, but just because Tel Aviv is more secular, doesn't mean stores there don't close for Shabat. I deliberately chose Tel Aviv becuase it is more typical of Israel in general.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous]I'd wager that the top schools everyone on this board wants to get into would be less competitive/desirable if they gave top preference to applicants from their state/locality. This goes for MD and VA schools as well. [/quote]

Um, ever been lost over on Foxhall Rd or take the wrong turn off Arizona?? Hardly the slums ! That is DC. Then there is always the Cleveland Park, Kalorama and Georgetwon riff raff to fall back on for DC residents.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]GDS is very Jewish. Just the reality of the school and not good or bad. [/quote]

Yes, GDS is very Jewish. There are several instances where homework is not assigned during Jewish holidays due to many students being absent. I have always found this to be quite ridiculous.[/quote]

Were I a teacher and aware that half my class were going to be wanting to gather with family that night for what is their holiest night of the year , I would consider myself terribly disrespectful to assign home work on that night or a test the next day because I would be basically forcing a kid to either do poorly or leave a family gathering that only happens once a year. Is it so much to be kind to one another, really??

[Anonymous]

Were I a teacher and aware that half my class were going to be wanting to gather with family that night for what is their holiest night of the year , I would consider myself terribly disrespectful to assign home work on that night or a test the next day because I would be basically forcing a kid to either do poorly or leave a family gathering that only happens once a year.

Okay. What if you were a teacher and you were sure that 4 out of the 24 students in your class would be gathering with family that night on either a holy night or a really important cultural celebration that's not holy (Chinese New Year). ? What if it was just 2 students of 24?

[Anonymous]

Individual accommodations rather than generalized reprieve.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous]GDS actually has school on the high holy days. Many other privates do not -- for example, my DS attends McLean and they have those days off. I believe that most public school systems in our area do as well. So by your ridiculous rubric you've created, these other schools are Jewish and GDS is not so much, since they have school on those days. And way to wave a magic wand and say Christmas break doesn't count.

Also, who cares what the Jewish population in general is? Its much higher in the larger DC area. And obviously if you have even a sizeable minority of Jewish students in your school it becomes disruptive for everyone to throw them homework that the teachers have to get to the kids and the kids have to scramble to catch up on.

You're being really silly. But, hey, why don't you march up to the school with all your stats and complain? I'm sure they'd love you for it.[/quote]

Of Cathedral Schools, Maret, WIS, Sidwell none are closed on HHD's. What Private do you refer to?

[Anonymous]

Our family is diverse in its origins as well, partly from the middle east. Among other reasons, we decided not to apply because, believe it or not, one former student said that it wouldn't be a good environment for us (due to our background) as did a former parent who is A colleague and Jewish. We did not want our children having to delve into the Israeli-Palestinian issue at school or be made to feel bad about their origins.

[Anonymous]

I think you were advised poorly.

[Anonymous]

I had a child at Washington Episcopal and they were also sensitive about homework on Jewish holidays. There are a lot of Jewish people in private schools. I can't imagine why people would object to this kind of minimal sensitivity to their needs.

I sympathize with the Middle Eastern family. My kids have been disturbed by ugly things said about Muslims and Palestinians at their schools. Interestingly, these schools were NOT GDS, although I have a kid there, too. Maybe this is just a coincidence, but I think it's because GDS puts a huge amount to of effort into teaching tolerance and encouraging kids to embrace diversity. Bigotry isn't tolerated there. The only minority group there that I've heard complaints from are conservatives. I think the school is aware of the latter issue, though, and is trying to address it. The kids certainly can't get away with saying negative things about Republicans in a public forum without being reprimanded, at least in the high school.

[Anonymous]

PP, here. I would add that it is tricky to talk about Israeli-Palestinian issues at all the area schools our family has been involved with. . I tell my kids to stay away from the subject, but to speak up if kids say something bigoted or hostile about Muslims or Palestinians.

[Anonymous]

What's ironic here is that my Jewish teenager, in a school which is very liberal and has a high percentage of Jewish students, reports that there is much more outspoken sympathy for the Palestinian viewpoint than for the Israelis, particularly from the teachers.

[Anonymous]

This is 17:36. I'm not sure that is ironic, but it certainly is regrettable that some teachers don't strive to represent all points of view. I hope I didn't come off as somebody who thinks it's worse to same negative things about one group than another group or one set of people's political views than another set of political views.