08-01-2018
Joshua Bonadona has claimed that the president of Louisiana College’s refused to hire him because of his “Jewish blood.” Mr. Bonadona had applied for a job as the defensive backs football coach at the private Baptist College. As a former student and former assistant coach at the college, his Jewish heritage was known as was the fact that he had converted to Christianity. Notwithstanding the football department’s full support and recommendation of him for the position, Mr. Bonadona was not hired, purportedly because his family is Jewish. In his lawsuit, Mr. Bonadona alleges that his Jewish heritage qualifies as a race and thus the failure to hire him was discriminatory under Title VII.
The college moved to dismiss the lawsuit against it, arguing that being of Jewish heritage was not a race within the meaning of Title VII. The meaning of the word “race” within Title VII has not been defined by the U.S. Supreme Court. In deciding that Jewish heritage was a race, the federal magistrate considering Mr. Bonadona’s claim found:
“Modern sociologists and anthropologists, especially with advancements in DNA studies, debate whether Judaism is a people, a religion or both. There is no doubt, however, that many people have and continue to view being Jewish as a racial identity.”
In further support of his conclusion, the magistrate noted the long history of American anti-Semitism that was perpetrated without regard to an individual’s actual religious beliefs. The college has the right to ask for a district court to review the decision. For now, Mr. Bonadona’s case will proceed.