World
Debate Flares
Latest salvo over intermarriage suggests a split in the Jewish community.
Sue Fishkoff
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
San Francisco
S
teven M. Cohen, a prominent
Jewish sociologist, has fired the
latest salvo in what is becoming
an increasingly vituperative debate about
outreach to the intermarried.
In his newest paper, "A Tale of Two
Jewries: The 'Inconvenient Truth' for
American Jews," Cohen uses his own
research and data from the 2001 National
Jewish Population Survey to argue that
inmarried and intermarried Jews form
two distinct halves of the Jewish com-
munity.
And the Jewish future, he argues, rests
with the inmarried, who are more Jewishly
engaged and much more likely to raise
their children as Jews.
Jewish leaders better face up to this,
even if it's unpleasant, Cohen said.
"I wrote this so policymakers will come
to grips with the frightening impact of
intermarriage," said Cohen, professor
of Jewish social policy at the Reform
movement's Hebrew Union College-Jewish
Institute of Religion in New York.
He offers three policy recommenda-
tions:
• greater linkage among Jewish educa-
tional opportunities for children such as
camps, schools and Israel trips;
• greater communal funding for cul-
tural, social and religious initiatives that
attract young adults; and
• community-funded rabbis who will
focus on conversion.
It's not the recommendations that are
drawing fire; many experts in the field say
they are good ideas. It's Cohen's underly-
ing assumptions that are raising hackles.
Where one stands on this paper
depends largely on where one stands on
outreach. The debate has been going on
at least since the 1990 National Jewish
Population Survey revealed that 43 percent
of new marriages involved intermarriage.
That figure rose to 47 percent by the 2000-
01 survey.
Should the Jewish community reach out
aggressively to welcome the non-Jews in
the hopes that they and their children will
join the Jewish fold? Or should it circle the
wagons, focusing communal attention on
the inmarried and their progeny?
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March 29 2007
Cohen, who falls into the latter camp,
goes further in his paper, arguing that
intermarriage is not only a result of but an
independent factor contributing to weak-
ened Jewish identity.
The data prove it, he said. In one chart,
Cohen shows that 71 percent of Jews
whose parents were intermarried but who
married Jews are raising their children
exclusively as Jews, whereas that number
dropped below 10 percent for Jews from
intermarried backgrounds who are also
intermarried.
"Intermarriage makes a difference — a
very large difference — in the likelihood
of raising one's children exclusively as
Jews," he concludes.
While Cohen advocates trying to deepen
the Jewish engagement of all Jews, he says
it is from among the inmarried that three-
quarters of the future Jewish community
will come. Thus, he said, greater attention
should be paid to shoring up the Jewish
identities of these Jews, while outreach
to the intermarried should be aimed at
encouraging their children to marry Jews.
Reaction to Cohen's paper is, not
surprisingly, divided. Indeed, the buzz
surrounding "Two Jewries" sounds like
a replay of the same CD with more
scratches.
One side includes people like Sylvia
Barack Fishman of Brandeis University's
Cohen Center, Jewish Theological
Seminary Provost Jack Wertheimer and
Steven Bayme of the American Jewish
Committee.
"I like this paper very much:' said
Bayme, a staunch advocate of outreach
that focuses on conversion. "It suggests
that pragmatically, with all the talk of
outreach, which is desirable, the core will
come from those who lead Jewish lives,
and that comes from the inmarrieds."
It is appropriate, Bayme said, to focus
communal energies on deepening the
Jewish engagement of that segment "and
the minority of mixed marrieds who also
want to lead Jewish lives."
Fishman, who writes extensively on the
issue, also approves. "In terms of trans-
mitting Jewish culture, [Cohen] says that
intermarriage is the single greatest threat:'
she said.
"This should not be put into a moral
realm. He's not saying there are good Jews
and bad Jews; he's simply describing the
way things are, according to his research."
The Jewish community, Fishman added,
should still "energetically
THE IMPACT OF INTERMARRIAGE ON THE DECISION
TO RAISE CHILDREN EXCLUSIVELY IN JUDAISM
engage in outreach': but
(for Jews from four types of parental homes)
that outreach "should be
based on an understanding
of the facts."
On the other side of
the debate are the out-
reach professionals — Ed
Case of InterfaithFamily.
com, Rabbi Kerry Olitzky
of the Jewish Outreach
Institute — and research-
ers such as Len Saxe at
Brandeis' Cohen Center and
Bethamie Horowitz of the
Mandel Foundation, who
say that concerted outreach
Parents
Parents in-
Parents in-
Went to day
to the intermarried is not
intermarried
married but did
married and lit
school as a
not light Shabbat
Shabbat candles
child
only right, it's effective.
candles
Saxe was the lead
In-married
8 Intermarried
researcher on a recent
JTA modification of graphic from "A tale of two Jewries"
study of Boston's Jewish
"tendentious."
community that showed nearly 60 percent
She also said the study is based on
of the city's children from intermarried
numbers that already have been called
homes were being raised as Jews, a fig-
into question, most recently by research-
ure almost double the national average,
ers Ira Sheskin and Saxe, both of whose
according to the 2001 Jewish population
research says that the 2000-01 national
study.
population survey undercounted the
Debate over the Boston study raged for
Jewish population by 1 million, mostly
weeks. Supporters said it shows that com-
non-Orthodox and younger Jews.
munal investment in outreach pays off.
Rabbi Irving "Yitz" Greenberg, president
Opponents said it had more to do with
of the Jewish Life Network/Steinhardt
Boston's investment in Jewish education.
Foundation, seemed uncomfortable in
"It's setting up a straw man:' Case said
a phone interview, but said he stands
of Cohen's latest work. He added that it
behind the paper.
was "unfortunate" that Cohen lumps all
Rabbi Greenberg said he is "very excit-
intermarried Jews into the same group.
ed" about Cohen's description of declining
One-third raise their children in anoth-
Jewish ethnic identity and the notion of
er religion and have no Jewish behaviors
or attitudes, he points out, so adding them funneling Jewish kids into multiple educa-
to the data skews it. That, he says, can have tional opportunities. He soft-pedaled the
"two Jewries" idea, saying Cohen "is not
dangerous policy implications.
writing off the intermarried; he's saying
"If you assume that all intermarried
we have not solved the problem:'
don't have Jewish behaviors or attitudes,
Outreach should and will continue, he
why bother to reach them?" Case asked.
said, noting that the Jewish Life Network/
"That's my serious concern — if policy-
Steinhardt Foundation funds many out-
makers and funders pay attention to this,
reach initiatives, including Birthright
why should they fund outreach?"
Israel.
Even if Cohen's analysis is right, Olitzky
But Cohen's central message should not
said, it's impractical.
be neglected, Rabbi Greenberg said. "If
"What happens to the 800,000 inter-
you stop saying it's important to marry
married families already in the Jewish
a fellow Jew, you're giving up something
community?" he asked. "His suggestions
very important for no gain." I I
don't take them into account, except for
forcing conversion upon them."
Download Steven M. Cohen's intermarriage
Horowitz, for her part, wondered
report, "A Tale of Two Jewries," at www.
why the Jewish Life Network/Steinhardt
jewishlife.org/pdf/steven_cohen_paper.pdf.
Foundation, which funded the study,
bothered to publish it. She called the study