Religion comes _¶ rst: Professors need to accommodate Jewish students

For most students Sept. 29 is just another Monday. Another school week begins and it's back to the daily grind. And midterms are just around the corner.

But for many Jewish students faculty and staff on campus sundown on Sept. 29 is the start of Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish new year) and the 10 most religiously important days on the Jewish calendar.

These culminate with Yom Kippur (the holiest day of the year) which runs from sundown on Oct. 8 until sundown on Oct. 9.

Needless to say Jewish students have obligations aside from class on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Some attend services while some enjoy days of quiet reflection.

Professors — and the University in general — need to accommodate all Jewish students and how they choose to observe these holidays.

Some students are concerned that professors aren't going to be understanding about missing classes during these holidays.

It's hard to see why this should even be an issue. The University has Christmas and Good Friday off. So why should there be a problem in accommodating other religious needs?

We brought this issue up with Ramadan last month. And the principle is the same here. The University needs to respect the religious observance of students of all faiths. This should go without saying.

By and large students faculty and staff respect religious diversity.

But it's always important to remind everybody the importance of respecting peoples' religious observance practices.