One of the most worrisome and least understood subjects of Jewish life is
that of intermarriage. Besides the lack of objective information regarding the
subject, it is very complex from an emotional point of view.
On the one hand, parents feel that when their child marries a non-Jew, he or
she is breaking the millennia-long chain of Jewish continuity and they do not
want to allow that to happen. On the other hand, they feel uncomfortable to
openly oppose intermarriage because of its racist connotations. Why disqualify
someone as a potential marriage partner just because he or she was born of a
non-Jewish womb? It seems to be a discriminatory attitude.
In order to analyze this subject, it must be divided into parts:
1) What is the basis for the opposition to intermarriage?
2) How can a Jew oppose intermarriage without contradicting the natural
instinct that he has to fight discrimination, especially after all that we
have suffered throughout history as a result of racial discrimination?
3) What explanation can one give to his or her non-Jewish friend to
justify the refusal to consider them for marriage?
LOGIN
ASK THE RABBI
