Leah, your post is right on. I followed your link to JSitter's site, and here's the language that is most telling to me : "JSitter is a safe and convenient destination for local babysitters, petsitters and housesitters in your Jewish community. JSitter brings together Jewish families and Jewish sitters to create a network of comfort and trust."
"Safe," "comfort," and "trust" are all code words for "LIKE US." The target audience must be families in very insular communities. As you point out, those of us who embrace diversity and are not threatened by "the other" might see the babysitting arrangement as a great opportunity to welcome a loving person into our homes who can teach our kids about other cultures, languages, perspectives, etc. But to me, it all boils down to that word "loving": as a parent, I look first for someone who is nurturing and kind to take care of my kids, rather than considering their ethnicity, religion, race, etc.
Leah, your post is right on. I followed your link to JSitter's site, and here's the language that is most telling to me : "JSitter is a safe and convenient destination for local babysitters, petsitters and housesitters in your Jewish community. JSitter brings together Jewish families and Jewish sitters to create a network of comfort and trust."
"Safe," "comfort," and "trust" are all code words for "LIKE US." The target audience must be families in very insular communities. As you point out, those of us who embrace diversity and are not threatened by "the other" might see the babysitting arrangement as a great opportunity to welcome a loving person into our homes who can teach our kids about other cultures, languages, perspectives, etc. But to me, it all boils down to that word "loving": as a parent, I look first for someone who is nurturing and kind to take care of my kids, rather than considering their ethnicity, religion, race, etc.