The two-year-old beat, funded by different religious groups, is fostering community engagement and providing new revenue

BY  J-Source

In August, news broke in Winnipeg about Gray Academy, a local Jewish school that decided to mandate vaccinations for all students eligible to receive the jab.

The story first ran on another media outlet’s website. It was a fine story, containing all the basic information about the school’s decision — the who, when, where and what.

But it didn’t say anything about the why: the school’s foundation in Judaism.

When I later interviewed the school’s CEO for a story in the Winnipeg Free Press, as part of its Religion in the News project, I made sure to ask her what role the Jewish faith played in the decision.

I could hear the enthusiasm in her voice when she said: “That was one of the most important pieces, the pinnacle of what went into our decision.”

For the school, it was the concept of pikuach nefesh, the Jewish imperative to save life.

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