Can Intermarriage Lead To An Increase In The Number Of Jews In America?
The authors of this article outline the question: Can Intermarriage Lead To An Increase In The Number Of Jews In America? It is an intriguing question. At first glance one might think to themselves that this is an erroneous question, but when examining the logic behind the question, it is apparent that this is not a poor question, but rather an interesting one. When looking at the simple numbers, one may believe that the answers to this puzzling question is yes, but is much more complex then the simple numbers. The logic behind this study is as follows. If two Jews get married, we are “using up” two Jews. If a Jew marries a non-Jew, we only “use up” one Jew. If over half of the children from the intermarried couples identify themselves as Jews, then intermarriage would lead to an increase in Jews. Currently, over 50% of children aged 18-29 from intermarried families identify themselves as Jews. In older generations the identification as Jews of intermarried children is substantially lower, 33% for offspring aged 50-69, 40% aged 30-49. The numbers continue to grow as the generations get younger. This is due to the overall acceptance of intermarried couples in the Jewish community. …show more content…
Theodore Sasson states that we must continue to educate the Jews and that the existence of Jewish interventions continue to create Jewish social networks and Jewish meaning in life. The continuation of Jewish schooling, attendance of synagogue and any connection to the Jewish world are vastly important to the future of the Jewish people. A brighter future sees a strong community of Jews working together to create a better Jewish world. The future is no longer bright when the Jews are not connected to there religion and do not have a strong
The authors of this article outline the question: Can Intermarriage Lead To An Increase In The Number Of Jews In America? It is an intriguing question. At first glance one might think to themselves that this is an erroneous question, but when examining the logic behind the question, it is apparent that this is not a poor question, but rather an interesting one. When looking at the simple numbers, one may believe that the answers to this puzzling question is yes, but is much more complex then the simple numbers. The logic behind this study is as follows. If two Jews get married, we are “using up” two Jews. If a Jew marries a non-Jew, we only “use up” one Jew. If over half of the children from the intermarried couples identify themselves as Jews, then intermarriage would lead to an increase in Jews. Currently, over 50% of children aged 18-29 from intermarried families identify themselves as Jews. In older generations the identification as Jews of intermarried children is substantially lower, 33% for offspring aged 50-69, 40% aged 30-49. The numbers continue to grow as the generations get younger. This is due to the overall acceptance of intermarried couples in the Jewish community. …show more content…
Theodore Sasson states that we must continue to educate the Jews and that the existence of Jewish interventions continue to create Jewish social networks and Jewish meaning in life. The continuation of Jewish schooling, attendance of synagogue and any connection to the Jewish world are vastly important to the future of the Jewish people. A brighter future sees a strong community of Jews working together to create a better Jewish world. The future is no longer bright when the Jews are not connected to there religion and do not have a strong