Intermarriage: Reframing Discourse and Action

Publication Date: March 2008

Publisher: Maurice and Marilyn Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies

Author(s): Leonard Saxe; Fern Chertok; Benjamin Phillips

Research Area: Culture and religion; Social conditions

Keywords: Intermarriage; Identity formation; Jewish identity

Type: Report

Coverage: United States

Abstract:

This Powerpoint presentation addresses

* current discourse about intermarriage, including the move from a disease model focused on “prevention” and “treatment” to a focus on how to engage families in meaningful Jewish life;

* the misinterpretation of data on Jewish engagement relating to intermarriage, especially how the differences between intermarried/inmarried households mask the critical role of meaningful Jewish education and experiences;

* Possibilities and policy recommendations to change patterns of engagement with Jewish life and opportunities to alter trajectories of the next generation.