Jewish interfaith marriages and its possible impact on Judaism Essay

In the Jewish world there is much concern and ambivalence over the effect of interfaith marriages – Jews marrying non-Jews. Those who are not familiar with their religion and customs may find it difficult to understand why such a dilemma exists in the modern world. A feeling that is not lost in younger generations of Jews. This has prompted many to seek answers whether the Jewish race is threatened by this new trend or will it result in something else. This paper will attempt to shed light on the common misconception that Jewish interfaith marriages (a.k. a. intermarriages) are eliminating Judaism in America. This is because some studies point to the opposite; the high rate of intermarriages can even reinforce Jewish identity – ethnic distinctiveness and Jewish culture – when the community, family and institutions welcome the intermarried couple into their midst. Most of the ideas and concepts that will be used here are taken from Calvin Goldscheider’s twin works an article entitled Are American Jews Vanishing Again? And a book entitled Studying the Jewish Future. Unless noted otherwise the proponent will liberally use Goldsheider’s point of view, which is acceptance of interfaith marriages as a positive force that is shaping modern day Judaism. In Context One generally accepted rule is to never marry a non-Jew. And this may perhaps explain the reason why even in the 21st century Jews can boast of an unbroken line that stretches even as far back to antiquity. It is this determination to survive against all odds that made them a unique people group. There are at least two major reasons why the Jews feel this way. First of all it is part of their religious beliefs that it is much better to marry fellow Jews than to be yoked with an unbeliever. This is also a practice rooted in practicality because it would be difficult for an outsider to follow all the complicated rules and rituals that a Jewish person should observed to maintain his or her status in the community. Secondly, the Jews are conscious of the fact that their people survived countless trials, tribulations and the test of time precisely because of their enduring belief that they should stick together. To fully understand their point of view one has to dig deep into their sacred books. The Jewish Bible, in the book of Yehoshua (Joshua), on the third chapter, one can see a list of ancient peoples that co-existed with the Jews and these are the: 1) Canaanites; 2) Hittites; 3) Hivites; 4; Perizzites, 5) Girgashites; 6) Amorites; and 7) Jebusites. One may try to look hard and scour the modern world; travel far and wide and still could not find any single trace of the aforementioned people groups. They are all gone. But the Jews remain. There is no need to elaborate upon the horrors that this group has encountered in the thousands of years of existence. And all of this can be attributed to an undying devotion to their God and deep sense of community. It is now clear why many see interfaith marriages as a threat to the survival of the Jewish race. It is no exaggeration to say that many are alarmed and convinced that this generation is the end of the road for them, especially to American Jews who live in a materialistic world that seems to have no time to revisit the past and hang on to outmoded traditions. But for a very long time there was no cause for alarm. Shapiro in his book on American Jewry in the 20th century described the self-satisfied demeanor of most Jewish leaders when it comes to exogamy. And he said that it was a common belief that, â€Å"†¦ Jews had a reputation for resisting intermarriage, that the Jewish rate of endogamy was far higher that that of any other white ethnic religious group, and that American Jewish leaders and scholars complacently believed the threat of intermarriage had been contained† (1992, p. 234). They soon found out that this was not the case as the world approaches the 21st century. And everyone was scrambling to reverse the trend but it may be too late.