George Green's School (GGS) in East London has sparked controversy by asking pupils as young as 11 to fast for over seven hours this Friday in aid of Unicef's Gaza Appeal for Children in Crisis. The school, a state-run secular comprehensive, is encouraging students to collect sponsorship money for the fast, which runs from 8:30am to 4pm.
One Jewish parent, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Jewish Chronicle that the event makes Jewish pupils feel unwelcome and stigmatised. 'The school organising something like this causes a sense of shame for the [Jewish] kids,' they said. 'The school has decided who is good and who is bad. Judaism has been portrayed as bad.'
The parent added that Jewish pupils are being made to feel 'subversive' and that there is a stigma against those who choose not to participate, 'at the age where they least want to stand out'. The school has a higher than average proportion of deprived pupils (62%) and 66% have English as a second language.
Principal Jon Ryder defended the event, stating it was 'organised in response to student voices on this issue' and is 'entirely voluntary'. He emphasised that GGS is a Unicef Gold Award Rights Respecting school and takes discrimination seriously. The school's fundraising page has already reached halfway to its £2,500 target.
