Q: Why is intermarriage such a big deal to Jewish communities? A: Jews are a tiny fraction (0.2 percent) of the

   world's population. Marrying someone not Jewish causes concern based on assumptions that Jews will stop

   identifying as Jewish or raising Jewish children. If that happens, Jews as a distinct people would cease to exist

   over time. A Jewish future depends on intermarried Jews continuing to identify as Jewish and raising Jewish

   children by educating them about their religion, culture, history, and languages. May hope and action prevail.


in-ter-mar-riage (noun): the legal union between two people originally of different traditions who are in love; can be interfaith, interethnic, interracial, or a combination

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Fictions of Jewish Intermarriage

“Passionate opinions from every imaginable perspective are the norm where interfaith relations and especially intermarriage are concerned. When Dr. Keren McGinity came to speak in Fort Worth she brought not only thoughtful scholarship to the topic, but her openness and concern. She listened as well as talked. Dr. McGinity is one of those rare people who generates more light than heat addressing the topic of intermarriage.”

—RABBI RALPH MECKLENBURGER, Congregation Beth-El, Fort Worth, TX


​gender (noun/adjective/verb): socially constructed roles and attributes of men and women; "feminine" and "masculine"; the power dynamics between the sexes

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Faces of Jewish Intermarriage

"I was so glad I reached out to Dr. Keren McGinity at the Love & Tradition Institute. She provided invaluable assistance, insight and background on Jewish intermarriage and gender. She was very helpful for our BBC documentary about issues facing interfaith couples around burial, a neglected area of research." 


—COLIN McNULTY, BBC Radio Producer/Whistledown Productions

Love And Tradition Books About Jewish intermarriage