But the problem remains that the Yale Four don't want a compromise that would have them living on campus under any circumstances. They should drop that loophole if the university wants its position to remain credible. But the most troubling aspect of all of this is one that the national magazines are uninterested in. As with questions of kashrut or any other matter of observance, there is an implicit putdown of those who are identifiably Orthodox who don't draw the line in the same place that the Yale Five are drawing it. If an Orthodox Jew cannot live in the dorms without having his or her religious beliefs compromised, then the implication is that all the Orthodox Jews who are currently living in the dorms are not as Orthodox as some would have them be.
Hard feelings are the inevitable result.
Such stories are a staple of modern Jewish journalism and represent two legitimate points of view. But those who see the Yale Four as the latest chapter in the history of the struggle for religious liberty are probably barking up the wrong tree. The writer is executive editor of the Connecticut Jewish Ledger. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced in any form without permission.