Sitting on the Space Between Two Chairs: Marriage Preparation for Interfaith Couples

Publication Date: January 1994

Publisher: Jewish Communal Service Association of North America

Author(s): Allen S. Maller

Research Area: Culture and religion; Social conditions

Keywords: Outreach; Inter-marriage; Social Services

Type: Report

Coverage: United States

Abstract:

Since 1988, over 100 interfaith couples have participated in special groups of the Making Marriage Work program. The program has the explicit goal of lowering divorce rates and the implicit goal of influencing couples to decide to raise their children as Jews. A 1991 follow-up study of graduates of the MMW program found that the interfaith couples had a similar divorce rate to the Jewish couples, primarily because Jewish/Gentile couples broke their engagements at double the rate of Jewish couples.