Orthodox Jewish men and their children. Photo: wiki commons.

In a legal battle over the education of their children, a British court has ruled in favor of the mother, who opposed her ex-husband’s request that their children be sent to an Ultra-Orthodox school.

Both parents – who are now divorced – are part of the Charedi community in England, however the mother wants to send their children to an Orthodox Jewish school and not an Ultra-Orthodox one, because it would give them “infinitely superior opportunities” according to the mother.

The father admitted that his choice for schooling would provide little opportunity to one of his sons, outside of teaching Judaism to others, however he argued that his ex-wife’s course of action would drive his children away from the Ultra-Orthodox community into which they were born.

Lord Justice Munby ruled that the idea of a father’s “sacred right” over choosing his children’s education, does not reflect the modern world.

“He acknowledged that the education issue was of ‘transcendental importance’ to the Chareidi community,” the Telegraph writes, “but said it was a fundamental value of modern English society that every child should have equality of opportunity.”