[BITList] These Kolkata schools are Jewish, its students Muslim

[John Feltham]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/city/kolkata-/The-schools-are-Jewish-its-students-Muslim/articleshow/5083769.cms


The schools are Jewish, its students MuslimSubhro Niyogi, TOI Crest 3  
October 2009KolkataAttired in a modest salwar-kameez ,
hijab firmly in place, Shaista Fatima leaves her home in Kolkata's  
Rippon Street
and heads for school. Friends Farida and Shehnaz Jahan join her on the  
way and
the three demurely make their way through the conservative Muslim  
neighbourhood.


But once they hit Royd Street, their gait acquires a quick
confidence. Once inside Jewish Girls School, they slip off both hijab  
and
salwarkameez and slip on the skirt-and-blouse uniform just in time for  
assembly.


The idea of Muslim students in a Jewish school may be blasphemous
anywhere else on the planet, but here in Kolkata, it's a reality. In  
fact, doors
to the two Jewish schools in the city were opened to other communities,
including Muslims, around the same time that Israel was carved out of  
Palestine
six decades ago, triggering a bloody conflict that still rages today.


It's a study in contrast really. Palestinian mothers let their
children join the uprising or intifada against Israeli occupation even  
as Muslim
mothers in Kolkata send their wards to schools run by Jews. The former  
is about
death - it's an honour if the child kills a Jew and brings martyrdom  
if he is
killed in the attempt. The latter is about the hope of a better future.


For most middle-class Muslims in Kolkata, getting their children
into a good English medium school is a dream. "Either the fees are too  
high or
kids are refused admission because the parents aren't educated  
enough," says M H
Iqbal, whose daughters Zeb and Uzma go to the Jewish Girls School.  
"The two
Jewish schools, on the other hand, are affordable and encourage  
children from
humble backgrounds. For people like me, it means a decent education  
for my
daughters that will open up a world of opportunity."

That the school
is run by Jews, sworn enemies of Muslims in other parts of the world,  
doesn't
bother him or the other Muslim parents whose children study at the  
Jewish Girls
School in Park Street or Elias Mayer Free School & Talmud Torah in  
Bowbazar.
Together, they have around 2,000 students.

Given that the two
schools are located in neighbourhoods with large Muslim populations ,  
it is not
unremarkable that two in every three students are from the community.  
Since most
of Kolkata's Jews have emigrated to Israel , the UK, the US or  
Australia, the
schools have had no Jewish students in 20 years.

The school, though,
still retains some Jewish traditions. It is closed on all major Jewish  
holidays
such as Passover and does not function on Saturdays, the day of  
Sabbath. Though
teachings in Hebrew have stopped, students are taught traditional  
dances and
Hebrew songs. "Many Israelis visit to discover their roots as their  
grandparents
have studied here," says Aline M Cohen, vice-president of Jewish Girls  
School
and committee member of Elias Meyer. "When they see Muslim boys and  
girls
present programmes in Hebrew, they are amazed."

Shakil Ahmed, whose
daughter Shaima is in class X, chose Jewish Girls over the Muslim  
Saifee Hall.
"You try to give the best to your children . Why deny them good  
education on
religious grounds?" reasons Ahmed, a devout Muslim who never goes out  
without
his skull cap. The women in his household wear purdah but he has no  
problem with
his daughter wearing shorts to the playground or singing Vande Mataram  
at
assembly. "The school has its rules and parents respect them," he says.


The camaraderie between the communities flourishes beyond the school
compound. "In the 26/11 Mumbai attack, six Jews, including a Rabbi ,  
were killed
by Islamic extremists. But Kolkata remained an oasis of peace,'' says  
Cohen. And
the schools a beacon of inter-faith cooperation.



ooroo

Bad typists of the word, untie.





ooroo

Bad typists of the word, untie.




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