Can children of intermarriage ever be accepted by the Jewish community?

Guest 1

I don't have an answer to the question in the headline, but Prof. Len Saxe has one.

Saxe, Professor of Jewish Community Research and Social Policy at Brandeis University, was our last weeks guest, and answered some readers' questions. When we kept getting questions over the weekend, Saxe generously agreed to reply to those I sent him.

"You asked two related questions: In essence, can children of intermarriage ever be accepted by the Jewish community, particularly if they don't have a Jewish mother?" he writes.

And his answer: "What we know (at least in the United States) is that Jewish mothers in intermarriages are more likely to raise Jewish children. As I suggested above, even if some in the community don't accept the children of intermarriage - particularly when only the father is Jewish - that does not mean such children do not have a right to educate themselves and live as Jews. I'd rather try to change attitudes than to give up on those who wish to be part of Klal Yisrael."

You can read the dialog here. Some more highlights from the Q & A are here:

Could you speculate on the possible effects on Jewish demography in the U.S if offspring of either a Jewish father or a Jewish mother were to be considered Halachic Jews according to Orthodox Law.

I do not share the concerns of some that broader criteria for inclusion will lead to a dilution of Judaism and, perhaps, be counterproductive. The greatest danger faced by Diaspora Jewry is the lack of engagement of those who are born as Jews.

How do you reconcile what you say about intermarriage and the findings that intermarriage children aren't raised as Jews at all?

There is no question that intermarriage is changing the face of American Jewry (and Jewish communities throughout the Diaspora). But the evidence suggests that intermarriage is not the cause of the problem. The solution to what the perceived intermarriage problem is to improve our diaspora system of Jewish education.

How about the trends deciding if the number of Jews is declining or actually growing?

The number of Jewish babies born each year is not simply a matter of what religion the parents were born to, but how well the community engages those parents.

Is this because more children from intermarriage are being raised as Jews?

Several data sources indicate that more children in intermarried households are being raised as Jews. This is likely one of the reasons that the population has not declined.

Guest 2

Our guest for this week is Scott Shay, and he believes that "American Jewry still possesses the strength to revitalize its purpose, passion and numbers. But in 25 years the shape of American Jewry could be quite different and its ability to be a force for good in the world could be quite diminished. So we need to act now."