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Irish Jews upset as their religion omitted from Irish census

CATHY HAYES,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Tuesday, April 12, 2011, 8:00 AM

Updated Tuesday, April 12, 2011, 8:00 AM

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Synagogue in Dublin

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On Sunday evening Ireland's 2011 census was completed. and the Irish government urged Jewish leaders in Ireland to ask their congregation to complete their forms despite the fact that listing Judaism as their religion was not available on the census form.

The census will be used to calculate the basis of state funding for religious education over the next five years in Ireland, however there is not a category for Judaism.

Members of the Jewish community feel that this oversight would mean that Jews, many of whom are immigrants or temporary workers from Israel, Eastern Europe or the United States, would go uncounted.

The population of Jewish people in Ireland is less than 2,000 and only half of them are affiliated with one of the four synagogues in the country. There are also only two Jewish schools, one elementary and one high school.

The Irish government has promised to convene an education forum to begin the reform of religious control of state-funded schools. However, Jews are now worried their concerns will not be addressed.

The primary findings of Ireland's census should be available by July. Two million census forms are expected to be returned. Residents are legally obliged to fill out the forms or they will be fined over $25,000.

Householders are asked questions on their age, marital status, religion, ethnic background and education. All 27 European Union member states will carry out a census this year.

Nster.com

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19 Comments

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mcdolan | Apr 15, 2011, 04:29 AM EDT

Good woman, ellenfromcork. You're right, religion has nothing to do with nationality.

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Collette2 | Apr 14, 2011, 05:31 AM EDT

What do I think? I think ellenfromcork is a hoot. Thanks for the "belly laugh".

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seanomelbourne | Apr 13, 2011, 11:03 PM EDT

George Dillon is overawed by the Irish.I'm over-yawned by George.

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ellenfromcork | Apr 13, 2011, 07:11 PM EDT

@elbhleann7, as I'm from Cork, I'm fairly thick at times. What are you going on about? What does buying "Irish documents" have to do w/what I posted?

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eibhleann7 | Apr 13, 2011, 12:58 PM EDT

You can buy as many Irish documents you want, it doesn't make you Irish. Defrauding the Irish government for your own religious agenda, does not make you an Irish national. Not even in Cork.

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bogsidebunny | Apr 13, 2011, 02:39 AM EDT

2,000 Jews........50,000 Muslims. Guess who the Irish (let's go to gaza and help the poor down-trodden Palistinians) love and who they HATE.........You do the maths!

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ellenfromcork | Apr 12, 2011, 07:36 PM EDT

@seagreen, thank you for having some knowledge of recent Irish history for referring to Robert Briscoe the former Jewish Lord mayor of Dublin. For a delightful reference to this please check out the Clancy Brothers song, Moses, Ritooraliay. There was also a Jewish mayor of Youghal, Cork in the 1500s.@elbhleann7, you are confusing nationality and religion. If someone and their family has lived in Ireland for generations, they are by definition "Irish"no matter if they are Catholic,Protestant, Jewish,Sikh or whatever.They are not in "someone else's " country, they are in their own country.!!

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seanomelbourne | Apr 12, 2011, 06:47 PM EDT

Davidding posted the only common sense article, backed up by facts.

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jacersagain | Apr 12, 2011, 06:26 PM EDT

davidding says it the true way it is. Why ICentral bothered with this article at all beggers belief... idle hands maybe? >> My father worked in a senior position for a company owned by two Jewish men for most of his life and always treasured their friendship towards him and all the staff. >>> 'Twud be better if ICentral wrote of the treatment of women, Jewish and not, today in Jerusalem by Hassidic Jews. The men force women to sit at the back of the public buses, just like in Sth Africa's apartheid days. They consider women to be 'unclean' and therefore to be kept away at distance.

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GeorgeDillon | Apr 12, 2011, 04:23 PM EDT

I expect only stupidity and inefficiency from the people who run the Irish census. These are the same idiots who reported after the last census that there were 10,000 Chinese in Ireland. The Chinese Embassy then intervened as said, "Er... there are actually 150,000 Chinese in Ireland". The Irish census forms should be pulverized and used as bathroom tissue.

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davidding | Apr 12, 2011, 03:11 PM EDT

Hang on a minute, here. Before people start screaming oversight/discrimination/anti-Semitism, let's look at the facts: There were 7 available options for the "What is your religion?" question: First, there were 5 named religions (Roman Catholic, Church of Ireland, Islam, Presbyterian, Orthodox). Next, an "Other" option, with a space to write in your religion. And finally, "No religion". I think it's reasonable to accept that, for space reasons, not every religion in the world could be listed. Hence the "other" option, which clearly allows members of other faiths (including Jews) to be counted. So how did they pick the top 5 religions? Well, if you look at the results of the last census, in 2006, the top 5 results for named religions were..... (drum roll): Roman Catholic, Church of Ireland, Muslim Islam, Presbyterian and Orthodox. "Jewish" was the FOURTEENTH most popular named religion then, after Methodist, Apostolic/Pentecostal, Buddhist, Hindu, Lutheran, Evangelical, Jehovah's Witness and Baptist - all of which were also lumped in with "Other" in this year's. Perhaps they are all also annoyed about being "omitted", but I haven't heard any so far. I hardly think that not specifically naming the 14th most popular option counts as deliberate discrimination. What's more interesting is why "No religion" was tucked away at the bottom of the list, despite being the second most popular choice in 2006.

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cillowen | Apr 12, 2011, 02:29 PM EDT

seemed just a waste of good ink but had they been catered for they'd cry bloddy hell. Their ww count is still at 13 million - has been so to satisafy belief.

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Nicomax | Apr 12, 2011, 01:23 PM EDT

No need to ask that question. Just too many different sects, some of which like that family group in Kansas that pickets funerals, or the tiny team down in Florida that burns books. I'm sure Ireland has their share of small and strange sects such as the Druids.

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eibhleann7 | Apr 12, 2011, 12:48 PM EDT

Maybe they should return to their own country and resolve the prosecution of the non-Jewish religions in Isreal, before they make a stink in someone else's country. They have no problem with jailing or putting to death a Christian that is doing nothing more than practicing their own religion. Yet they want to go to a Catholic based nation and demand preferential treatment? Cop on!

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oldboreen | Apr 12, 2011, 12:33 PM EDT

From time to time Ireland makes a fool of itself-this is one of those occasions.

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