British Jewry and its Attitudes to Intermarriage

Publication Date: December 2003

Publisher: Hadassah-Brandeis Institute

Author(s): Marlena Schmool

Research Area: Culture and religion; Social conditions

Keywords: Intermarriage; Communal organization; Demography

Type: Other

Coverage: Great Britain

Abstract:

The author briefly sketches the history of the British Jewish community and outlines its communal organizational structure and population demographics. For data on intermarriage and attitudes towards intermarriage, which show a fall off in synagogue marriage and a corresponding increase in the rise of intermarriage, the author brings the results of the 1995 Institute for Jewish Policy Research survey of the Social and Political Attitudes of British Jews and the 1994 Survey of Women in the Jewish Community. Nevertheless, the ten years following these studies have seen changes whose effects on intermarriage remain to be studied, including an increase in Jewish educational infrastructure, significant political developments in Israeli politics, and increased anti-Israel activity on British campuses.