Jewish Life In My 20s
Readers and writers talk about our responsibility
toward intermarriage.
Sparkling elegantly,
woman called The Jewish
News last week, irate about
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'Scene' It,
Se:9ot Te,
And Send It Back
-
Just because it happens, doesn't
mean we have to like it. But be-
some articles that ran in
cause it happens, we have to rec-
the July 11 issue of The
ognize it, and Jewish newspapers
Scene. Specifically, she objected
must write about it. Mirror the
to articles that detailed interreli-
community.
gious relationships.
The caller said she has two
"Why must you write about it?"
sons "of marriageable age. What
she asked. "If it's a Jew-
are they supposed to
ish newspaper, shouldn't
think when they read
it be about very Jewish
articles like that? That
activities?"
it's OK to go find a non-
On the one hand, yes.
Jewish girl and marry
On the other hand, no.
her?"
The idea that all
If the Jewish youth of
things Jewish are those
today are that impres-
things which are ex-
sionable, that easily
pressly religiously Jew-
swayed by an article or
ish is one way to look at
two, I told her, then the
it. But it's an awfully lim- LYNNE M EREDITH parents and the syna-
iting perspective, and for
CO HN
gogues are not doing their
many assimilated Jews,
STAFF WRITER
jobs.
untrue.
Silence on the line.
As editor of The Scene, I must
And I told the caller that those
admit that I hesitated about run-
articles which she finds distaste-
ning articles that seemed to cele-
ful could be used as a perfect
brate intermarriage. I, too,
jumping off point for discussion
thought that the job of a Jewish
between herself and her sons.
newspaper is not to applaud mar-
Boy, my mother taught me
rying out, but rather to encourage
well.
marrying in.
There were a few things I for-
I was wrong.
got to tell her. Like the fact that
Colleagues oh-so-emphatically
more Jews than ever are seeking
pointed out that the job of a news-
out religious learning among our
paper, any newspaper, is to reflect
Orthodox communities today. And
what is happening among its
that patterns are just that: pat-
readership. To be a mirror, so to
terns, cycles that swing one way
speak, to the community.
and inevitably swing back in an-
And that is exactly right.
other direction.
Newspapers like the Washing-
"Intermarriage does not re-
ton Post and the Detroit Free Press lentlessly increase in the dimen-
are heavy on coverage of black in-
sion of time in a smooth,
dividuals, communities and con-
unbroken pattern ... No mystical
cerns. Appropriately so, as both
force pushes any aspect of inter-
newspapers cater to cities with
group relations in a single pat-
largely black populations. (The
tern," wrote Ruby Jo Kennedy in
city of Washington claims among
her essay titled, Single or Triple
its resident population 75 percent
Melting Pot? Intermarriage
who are African-American.)
Trends in New Haven, 1870-
Thus, a Jewish newspaper, by
1940.
definition, should cover the Jew-
Three decades ago, writes Rab-
ish community. Every part of it —
bi Silverstein, "no one would have
from the strictly secular to the
predicted the remarkable resur-
haredim (fervently Orthodox).
gence of Orthodox Judaism with-
I told the caller that "covering"
in American life and its growth in
the community is not the same as
America's affluent suburbs.
offering guidance to it. It is not the
"Nor would anyone have
responsibility of a newspaper to
guessed that Jewish day-school
judge its readership.
enrollment would grow from triv-
One out of every two single
ial numbers three decades ago to
American Jews today marries a
its current enrollment of more
gentile, according to Rabbi Alan
than 30 percent of all Jewish chil-
Silverstein's 1995 book, It All Be-
dren in the United States receiv-
gins With A Date: Jewish Con-
ing some type of Jewish
cerns about Intermarriage.
education."
That 50 percent figure should
I understand where that
be broken down into two groups.
woman was coming from. With-
First, adult children from mixed-
out being presumptuous, I can
religion households intermarry
imagine that one of her worst
close to 90 percent of the time.
fears would be to have grandchil-
That leaves us with the adult
dren who don't know the beauty
children of two Jewish parents,
of being Jewish.
who have remained consistent at
It is happening, and we must
the same marrying-out rates of 10
write about it. From every angle
and 15 years ago.
— good, bad and otherwise. ❑