OPINION

Can Intermarriage
Endanger Jewish Survival?

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T

he question of Jewish survival But it is a threat, one that could very
well lead to the end of the Jewish reli-
always has been a significant
gion. That threat is intermarriage.
one for Jews.
For all their noteworthy and active
Whether they came from
involvement
in American life, Jews are
Roman kings, pogroms, Hitler or other
still
less
than
3 percent of the popula-
aggressors, threats were obvious and
tion.
According
to the American Jewish
intense and evoked a response from
Committee,
one out of three
Jews that was immediate and
American
Jews
lives in an
strongly supported by the Jew-
interfaith
household
and
ish population at large.
only
a
quarter
of
interfaith
A call to arms was seen as
couples raise their children as
necessary to ensure our survival
Jewish.
Those numbers make
as Jews. The continued exis-
you
worry
about the hope for
tence of our people was impor-
long-term
Jewish
survival.
tant. These challenges to our
We
live
in
a
society
that
survival were very defined and
stresses
diversity.
It
shows
an
obvious. It's hard to miss
acceptance
and
understand-
someone attacking you physi-
ALEXI S PONE ing for your fellow man. It
cally or threatening a family
Spec ial to
asks you to respect that other
member or burning down a
The
Jew
ish
News
person's identity, history, etc.
temple or loading you into cat-
But are we sacrificing our
tle cars.
identities
in
the process? Have we
Now we are again faced with danger.
invested
so
much
in others that we have
But this time the danger to our survival
lost
our
awareness
of our own history
is even greater. It is greater because it is
and
how
we
are
linked
to our ancestors?
subtle. There is no one clubbing us, no
They
are
the
foundation
of our identity.
one killing us or running us out of the
Unlike
Christianity
Judaism
is not just
country. No one is breaking into our
defined
by
faith,
it
is
a
culture
and an
homes in the middle of the night and
ethnic
identification
as
well.
That
is a
hauling us off to concentration camps.
lot
to
lose.
This danger we are faced with is
The intermarriage threat to Jewish
more quiet in nature, causes no physical
survival
is dangerous because it does
pain, but instead blankets us with a false
something
very significant — it subtly
sense of "no problem." And, because
erodes
our
identity. It begins with dat-
we are not being attacked in the tradi-
ing
non
Jews
because, after all, we're just
tional way, our response is not immedi-
in
high
school
and we're not getting
ate. In fact, we hardly respond at all.
married. If we don't date outside our
faith then we are prejudiced and disre-
Alexis Pone is a junior at North Farm-
spectful of diversity. So we get comfort-
ington High School. Her essay won first
able with dating non Jews and the dif-
place in the BBYO regional convention
ferences between us begin to blur. But
oratory contest. This is an edited version.

in the world of dating the two of you
are just the two of you — separated
from extended family, traditions, holi-
days, etc. But when a couple from dif-
ferent faiths marry, that blurring of dif-
ferences suddenly clarifies. Each person
enters a marriage with his own family
traditions. The couple can try to com-
promise, Christmas with your family,
Chanukah with mine, etc. It can be
done.
But things change when the couple
have a child. If the non-Jewish partner
decides to allow the child to be raised
Jewish, that partner often lives with the
guilt of knowing that his or her parents
will not have the pleasure of seeing their
grandchild open Christmas gifts, be
baptized, etc. And if the child is raised
as a non-Jew, the Jewish grandparents
may sit at a Rosh Hashanah table with '
grandchildren who can't relate to what is
going on. And Judaism has lost another
person.
Trying to raise children in two faiths
is even more difficult. Parents do this
saying that they will let the child choose
which faith to practice when the child
becomes an adult. What frequently ends
up happening is that the adult child
practices nothing.
We feel secure in our acceptance by
others and for others. However, we can
respect others without having to give up
our identities. The enemy to Jewish sur-
vival is no longer Hider, Roman kings
and pogroms. The enemy is our atti-
tude, our posturing, our complaisance,
our choices and our inability to look
into the future.
We have seen the enemy, and the
enemy is us.

❑

LETTERS

TaMBIROFF
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3/6
1998

32

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Elana came home with this beautiful
centerpiece full of various toys, includ-
ing a stuffed animal, a book, stickers,
etc., I was speechless. I couldn't believe
that a wonderful young lady named
Arica donated these to children she
didn't even know.
I wish Arica much love and happi-
ness and thank her with all of my
heart for thinking of these very special
children we have.
Sheryl Kaminer
Oak Park

JNF Meets
Challenges

If you ask Israelis what is the most
critical problem facing their country,

most would suggest the critical short-
age of water.
The Jewish National Fund is in the
forefront, working to alleviate this cri-
sis. A network of 50 water reservoirs
has already been constructed with
more in the planning stage. These
reservoirs are currently trapping 50
million cubic meters of flood water
that would otherwise be lost. The
reservoirs also are recovering 350 mil-
lion cubic meters of treated sewage
water for recycling. That is why we are
the primary environmental land
agency for Israel and the Jewish peo-
ple.
In short, JNF's work in Israel, with
the planting of trees, construction of
parks and playgrounds, housing,
employment, tourism and establish-

ment of water reservoirs and much
more, is as important as ever.
To meet these challenges, JNF of
America has become a much more
efficient organization. Now the agency
needs the help of the Jewish commu-
nity and friends of Israel to become
involved with us and give substantially
to this year's campaign.
Through the generosity of our
communities, JNF will be able to
meet its commitment of sending 70
percent of funds raised to Israel. The
mission is too important for Israel and
the Jewish people for anything less
than a maximum effort.
Robert Schwartz
President, Jewish National Fund
Council of Michigan

