Former Soviet Refugee Sues Manhattan Day Care For Removing Son’s Star Of David

Image by iStock
(JTA) — A former Soviet refugee is suing his son’s day care for refusing to allow the four-year-old to wear a Star of David pendant.
Isaac Goldin attended the Bright Minds Center in Manhattan, which provides “European Education” and “Russian Traditions” for kids, the New York Post reported.
Beginning in November 2016 until Isaac left in June 2017, the principals required Dmitry Goldin to remove his son’s necklace before the start of the school day.
Goldin 43, said the request gave him flashbacks to the religious persecution he experienced in Moscow in the former Soviet Union. He came from the former Soviet Union to New York in 1991 where, he said, “Russian kids would beat me up and spit on me for being Jewish. When you spend a whole childhood in this condition and it happens when you’re an adult it brings it all back.”
The principals asserted that Isaac could not wear the six pointed star because it was dangerous, and suggested that the Goldins find a different way for their son to express his religious affiliation.
Goldin filed the law suit on Tuesday in Manhattan Supreme Court.
Goldin said he offered to give his son a smaller Star of David but was rebuffed. Isaac now attends Success Academy where he’s allowed to wear the Star of David, according to the Post.
Goldin is not religiously observant, but said, according to the New York Daily News: “In America, being able to wear the Star of David – it’s freedom.”
Alyssa Fisher is a news writer at the Forward. Email her at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher
The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Most Popular
- 1
Opinion The dangerous Nazi legend behind Trump’s ruthless grab for power
- 2
Opinion I first met Netanyahu in 1988. Here’s how he became the most destructive leader in Israel’s history.
- 3
Culture Did this Jewish literary titan have the right idea about Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling after all?
- 4
Opinion A Holocaust perpetrator was just celebrated on US soil. I think I know why no one objected.
In Case You Missed It
-
Opinion Trump’s heedless approach to an Iran deal could be a big problem for Israel
-
Fast Forward In NYC, Itamar Ben-Gvir says he’s changed — and wants ‘the Trump plan’ in Gaza
-
Opinion Itamar Ben-Gvir’s visit to a Jewish society at Yale exposed deep rifts between US Jews
-
Fast Forward On his first trip to Auschwitz, New Jersey governor urges vigilance against rising antisemitism
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
Republish This Story
Please read before republishing
We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:
- Credit the Forward
- Retain our pixel
- Preserve our canonical link in Google search
- Add a noindex tag in Google search
See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.
To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.