Antwerp school warns pupil’s mother to dress modestly

The management of a Belgian Jewish Orthodox school threatens to take “unpleasant steps” against a pupil’s mother because she does not dress modestly enough.

The threat came in a letter that the management of the Jesode Hatora — Beth Jacob School in Antwerp recently addressed to the mother of the pupil, the Belgian Jewish weekly Joods reported. Fons Duchateau, Antwerp’s alderman in charge of diversity, criticized the state-funded school and summoned its management to provide explanations for the letter, the Gazet van Antwerpen daily reported.

“Unfortunately, there has been a weakness on your behalf in adhering to some of the above rules,” management wrote in an English-language printed letter addressed to the mother, who was not named. The letter included a dress code to which mothers of pupils attending the school were required to adhere “at all times and especially at all school activities, i.e., bringing/fetching school parties and parent-teacher meetings.

“Further noncompliance with the school will result in unpleasant steps being taken, which we want to avoid if at all possible,” management wrote to the mother in the letter, which appeared on a Facebook forum called Jesode Hatorah — Beth Jacob Watch.

Alderman Duchateau told the Gazet that she supports freedom of religion for faith communities, but “tying school choices to wardrobe choices is beyond going too far.” Hilde Crevits, education minister for Flanders — the autonomous Belgian region whose capital is Antwerp — called for a review of the dress-code issue in schools following the publications about the letter.

— JTA