American Jews have now been debating the impact of intermarriage for decades. Does intermarriage lead to assimilation and weaken the Jewish community? Or perhaps is it an easy method for a faith that usually doesn’t look for converts to create new individuals in to the fold and, thus, strengthen also as diversify the Jewish community? The new Pew Research Center study of U.S. Jews failed to begin this debate and will maybe perhaps not end it. But, the survey’s findings on intermarriage, youngster rearing and Jewish identification offer some help both for edges.
For instance, the study demonstrates that the offspring of intermarriages – Jewish grownups who’ve just one parent that is jewish are far more most likely as compared to offspring of two Jewish moms and dads to spell it out on their own, consistently, as atheist, agnostic or absolutely absolutely absolutely nothing in specific. For the reason that sense, intermarriage might be viewed as weakening the spiritual identification of Jews in the us.
Yet the study additionally implies that a percentage that is rising of kiddies of intermarriages are Jewish in adulthood.
Studies are snapshots with time. They typically reveal associations, or linkages, as opposed to clear causal connections, and so they don’t anticipate the long term. We don’t know, for instance, or perhaps a cohort that is large of adult young ones of intermarriage that are Jewish today will stay Jewish because they age, marry (and perhaps, intermarry), begin families and undertake the life span period. Continue Reading…