Poll: day school application information regarding parentage

amother

Thu, Oct 30 2014, 11:18 am

Does your school's application ask separately if each parent is a "natural" parent?

If conversion information is requested, how far back? For example, some schools just ask whether the child's mother converted, while others ask for information for multiple generations on the mother's side.

I am curious how our day school's requirements, which I think have tightened from past years, compare with others.

Also, if you don't mind, share the approximate hashkafah and location of your school.

Raisin

Thu, Oct 30 2014, 11:25 am

mother or maternal grandmothers kesubah. there may be a question about adoption,not sure.

Ruchel

Thu, Oct 30 2014, 12:02 pm

Parents ketuba or Judaity certificate of mother or child or maternal grandmother.
They didn't even look at ours.

Modern yeshivish

33055

Thu, Oct 30 2014, 12:05 pm

OP, Where are you located? I never heard of such crazy questions. How are they allowed to ask such things?

Barbara

Thu, Oct 30 2014, 12:27 pm

MO

They asked us what shul we attend. I guess they figure that if we're respected members of that shul, we're sufficiently Jewish for them.

amother

Thu, Oct 30 2014, 12:40 pm

Squishy wrote:

OP, Where are you located? I never heard of such crazy questions. How are they allowed to ask such things?

I would rather not share my location, except that it is USA.

I don't know what they mean by "natural." It might refer only to adoption or maybe to identify step-parent situations, but there is a separate item for adoption so I don't think so. I also don't know why it would matter if the father is a "natural" parent, unless maybe a son of a kohen. Our school has a yeshivish administration, but students range from MO to yeshivish. Our community is not super RW. I want to see what other schools do.

morah

Thu, Oct 30 2014, 12:48 pm

I can't really comment without seeing the form, but it may not have anything to do with halacha. It is important for the school to know about sensitive family situations. This information is passed on to the teachers so they can be aware and act accordingly.

As to Jewishness, my son's preschool asked for our shul and our full Hebrew names (as in, Ploni ben Almoni v'Almonit, not simply Ploni, which was already on the form). Nothing more.

amother

Thu, Oct 30 2014, 1:16 pm

marina wrote:

Yes, the forms generally ask about conversion, even the MO school

OP

I am not surprised that a school would ask about the mother or child's conversion. I expect that most do.

amother

Thu, Oct 30 2014, 1:29 pm

marina wrote:

Yes, the forms generally ask about conversion, even the MO school

Conversion of kid or of a parent? I have not even thought of it being asked. I though They asked what shul we went to etc.... My DH is a "Lechumra" ger but it's not shared. Has no effect on our kids being jewish but we don't want it shared when they go to school. If it's on the application than everyone in the office knows. (MIL upset when she found out he went through it as she was understandably insulted and hurt...). Our Rav knows but it's just not talked about..

yo'ma

Thu, Oct 30 2014, 2:23 pm

In my childrens school in bs as, they ask for a copy of our kesuba. I'm not sure how strict they are about it though because I know of at least one child that his mother is jewish, but his father is not. Maybe she gave something else to show that the child is jewish. I don't know.

Rutabaga

Thu, Oct 30 2014, 5:09 pm

I've never seen some of these questions on a school application. DD's school asks for names of parents and grandparents and the name of the shul where the child's family davens.

ElTam

Thu, Oct 30 2014, 8:54 pm

Our school asks "Was the mother born Jewish?" "Was the father born Jewish?" If the answer is no, a certificate of geirus is required.

amother

Thu, Oct 30 2014, 8:55 pm

yo'ma wrote:

The child is Jewish

yo'ma

Thu, Oct 30 2014, 9:05 pm

amother wrote:

The child is Jewish

Of course, but if the parents have a kesuba that's proof, but if she married a non-jew they wouldn't have a kesuba, so she would have to show a different firm of proof.

amother

Thu, Oct 30 2014, 10:23 pm

One of my kids' schools asks for nothing. Literally. They don't even ask for the Hebrew birthday. The other school asked for yichus until mamad har Sinai, and a copy of our or my parents' kesuba.

I was just joking to my husband actually that you'd think the girls school would care more...

ETA both schools are OOT yeshivish

Raisin

Fri, Oct 31 2014, 7:27 am

yo'ma wrote:

Of course, but if the parents have a kesuba that's proof, but if she married a non-jew they wouldn't have a kesuba, so she would have to show a different firm of proof.

in that case they would ask for a copy of the mothers kesuba.

yo'ma

Fri, Oct 31 2014, 8:39 am

Raisin wrote:

in that case they would ask for a copy of the mothers kesuba.

Probably! That would make sense, but I said they asked for ours and I guess for some, they would ask for the grandparents'.

Ruchel

Fri, Oct 31 2014, 10:04 am

Checked the papers from applying.

No Q on grandparents, on shul (bh as we affiliate with no shul and don't "have a shul"), on adoption, on conversion of anyone. Just ketuba. I do know they took kids from a divorced lady from a non Jewish ex so they accept either mom or kids' Judaity certificate.

A certain hardcore BY asked: ketuba, family rav (that one required some thinking!). Caveat they knew me beforehand and the rebbe knew my husband from as a bochur so maybe they didn't ask everything.

Peanut2

Fri, Oct 31 2014, 12:17 pm

My daughter attends a community day school for preschool (not Orthodox, not affiliated, in America) and they ask some questions. They ask if mother is Jewish, if father is Jewish, what shul you affiliate with if any, and for Hebrew names, I think. Could be more. It's funny because you don't even have to be halachically Jewish to attend - they accept kids with a non-Jewish mother and Jewish father as per the Reform, or with Conservative and Reform conversions. But they still ask a lot.