https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2018/07/20/louisiana-judge-says-jews-are-a-race-are-protected-by-anti-racial-discrimination-laws/?utm_term=.5d0007669eaf

Louisiana judge says Jews are a race and protected by anti-racial-discrimination laws
by Hannah Natanson July 20

A Louisiana judge has ruled that Jews can be viewed as a race and thus are protected in the workplace by federal anti-racial-discrimination law — a decision experts say is unprecedented. Some are hailing the decision as a civil rights victory while others say it could embolden white supremacists.

U.S. Magistrate Mark Hornsby delivered the judgment in a civil case football coach Joshua Bonadona filed in February against his Baptist alma mater, Louisiana College. Bonadona says the school’s president, Rick Brewer, refused to hire him for an assistant coaching position because of what Bonadona says Brewer called his “Jewish blood.”

A lawyer for Louisiana College had asked that the case be dismissed, arguing Bonadona’s claim that his Jewish ancestry counts as race is implausible and has no basis in “law or jurisprudence.” Hornsby declined that request July 13, meaning the suit will likely move forward — depositions are slated to begin next week.

Hornsby wrote in court filings that Jews deserve the protection afforded to racial and ethnic groups by Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which specifically deals with employment. It forbids employers from discriminating based on sex, race or religion, among other categories.

Legal experts said this is the first time Jews have been treated as racially protected in the workplace, though courts — including the Supreme Court — have repeatedly held that discrimination against Jews can count as racial discrimination.

“Jewish citizens have been excluded from certain clubs or neighborhoods, and they have been denied jobs and other opportunities based on the fact that they were Jewish, with no particular concern as to a given individual’s religious leanings,” Hornsby wrote. “Thus, they have been treated like a racial or ethnic group that Title VII was designed to protect from employment discrimination based on membership in that group.”

[Anti-Semitic incidents soared in 2017, marking nation’s largest single-year increase, report finds]

James Bullman, the attorney representing Bonadona, said in an interview that he and his client are “absolutely thrilled” by the Friday ruling. A spokesman for Louisiana College said the school plans to file an objection to Hornsby’s decision. Brewer has repeatedly denied Bonadona’s allegations and said the coach was simply not his first choice.

Bonadona was born to a Jewish mother in Baton Rouge and grew up attending Beth Shalom, a local synagogue in which his mother is heavily involved, according to Bullman, a longtime family friend. After leaving home to attend and play football at Louisiana College, Bonadona converted to Christianity and often led the football team in prayer.

Several years after graduating, he applied for a job helping coach the football team at his alma mater. Bonadona claims he interviewed with Brewer and was all but told he’d secured the position. Then he got a call from Coach Justin Charles informing him Brewer would not hire him because of his “Jewish descent,” the suit alleges.

Asked to comment this week, Brewer pointed to a news article and accompanying picture that showed him leading a prayer at a recent Holocaust remembrance event held at Louisiana College..........