Irish census form omits box for Jews
The Jerusalem Post reports:
Ireland’s Jewish community is expressing dismay after learning that the country’s upcoming census will not include a distinct category for Jews in the section concerning religious identity.
The forms to be used in the census, to take place on April 23, include a question that asks, “What is your religion?,” which is followed by seven boxes that respondents may check to indicate their reply.
These include Roman Catholic, Methodist and Muslim, but not Jewish.
Instead, those wishing to identify themselves as Jews will have to register their religion as part of the “other” category.
I know we’re straying into political correctness here, but if there is a category for Muslims, then why not a category for Jews? Then again, the current Muslim population in Ireland is probably significantly greater than the Jewish population and I suppose there has to be a cut off somewhere, which is always going to disappoint someone. They could just as easily have included a category for New Age and Neo-Pagan religions which have enjoyed a resurgence in recent years.
Ireland’s Jewish community numbers just 1,790, according to the 2002 census, or less than 1 percent of the population. Previous census forms included a separate category for Jews, but it was dropped in 2002.
List of religions on the census:
- Roman Catholic
- Church of Ireland
- Presbyterian
- Mehodist
- Islam
- Other
- No Religion