Brazil's Supreme Court Orders Limited Accommodation For Saturday Entrance Exam

Jewish high schoolers in Brazil are seeking to schedule an alternative date on which they can take the national exam for high school graduates that is used for college admissions. The exam, known as ENEM, is required for admission to some of the country's top universities, including federally funded ones. It is not mandatory for admission to locally-funded state universities. The exam is scheduled for Saturday, December 5, but observant Jews say that a Saturday exam would require them to violate their Sabbath restrictions. Haaretz yesterday reported that originally, in a suit filed by the Center for Religious Jewish Education, a court in Sao Paulo held that the country's education ministry was required to set an alternative date for Jewish students. However last week Brazil's Supreme Court reversed, holding that an alternative date would undermine equality. It said that allowing Jewish students to take the exam on December 5, but after sundown, would be adequate accommodation. [Thanks to Joel Katz (Relig. & State in Israel) for the lead.]