I noticed the following advertisement in today's Sunday Age. I have no idea if it is halachically permissible for Mount Scopus to hire out, or even give free of charge, its Besen Centre theatre for a Friday evening performance. But in my view it looks terrible that a Jewish school, especially one that is officially more or less Orthodox to do so. I would think there would also be “maris ayin” issues. It would be important to hear the views of the Melbourne rabbinate. Maybe Rabbi Kennard (who no doubt would have been against this) could place this on the agenda for the next RCV meeting.
Maris Ayin? In Burwood? How many Jews do you think live there? Not that you can see the Besen centre from the street, anyway; it's somewhere around the middle of the campus.
ReplyDeleteNote that at least some maris-ho'ayin-like restrictions don't apply if there are no Jews within a techum shabbos. While that technically doesn't apply to Burwood, since it is within the Melbourne techum and in theory any Jew might walk all the way out there and see what's going on, the principle applies. No Jew is ever likely to actually pass by and see this without knowing that it's not a school production.
ReplyDeleteI was told by someone years ago that officially an external non-Jewish management company controls the centre and technically it is then like renting property to a non-Jew which has no restrictions. All this was second hand so it may not be acurate.
ReplyDeleteJoe, the Maris Ayin is not only in Burwood - but in very copy of the Age.
ReplyDeleteI dunno.
ReplyDeleteI think Ajnwatch makes a resonable comment. A Jewish school hiring out its theatre on Shabbat is not kosher
Jack in Sydney, please explain what you think the Maris Ayin consists of. You look at the advertisement. You see that Yooralla - a secular charity - in conjunction with some State schools and some Christian schools is putting on a show at the Besen center. And you believe that as a result of seeing the advertisement people will think that someone - who? is doing something prohibited - what?
ReplyDeleteThe Besen Centre is owned, and run, separately from Mount Scopus. It is on the Campus of the school, but otherwise is a completely separate entity.
ReplyDelete