Intermarriage Studies May Be Right; Community’s Fearful Response Isn’t

SAN FRANCISCO (JTA) — We keep producing studies that prove that children of intermarried families are less likely to be Jewish than children from two born Jews.

There’s nothing wrong with the research; my studies show the same thing. However, our responses to the findings, which come from fear and suspicion, are troubling.

The Jewish community has centuries of fear and accumulated loss from discrimination, persecution and mass murder. Because Jewish population numbers are so small — only 16 million in a world of 5 billion, and only 6 million among America’s 300 million — every individual is a precious resource.

Originally published here: https://www.jta.org/page_view_story.asp?intarticleid=17587&intcategoryid=4