School slips as girls shun 'antisemitic' Shakespeare

Published on Friday 29 February 2008 21:45

A JEWISH school tumbled down national league tables after pupils refused to answer questions on Shakespeare because they believed he was antisemitic.

Nine girls at the Yesodey Hatorah Senior Girls School in Stamford Hill, north London, got no marks for their national curriculum Shakespeare tests as a result of their protest.

The view of Shakespeare as prejudiced against Jews stems from his portrayal of the money-lender Shylock in The Merchant Of Venice.

Rabbi Abraham Pinter, the principal, stressed that he did not advise girls to boycott Shakespeare but respected their views. "I think this is very positive," he said. "I'm really proud our kids are prepared to take the consequences of their convictions."

Last year, girls at the school were on average five terms ahead of 14-year-olds across the rest of England in maths, English and science. But the school's ranking fell from first to 274th in this year's table.

Simon Gibbons, of the National Association for the Teaching of English, said he did not believe that the play was prejudiced against Jews, but added: "It is noble of the school to take the view that the individual pupils' views are more important than its league table position."