American Jewish Committee Survey Shows Wide Acceptance of Interfaith Marriage

American Jewish Committee
Wednesday, 1 November 2000

A new American Jewish Committee survey reveals that American Jews in the main are undisturbed by mixed marriage, viewing it as an inevitable reality in American society. Moreover, a large majority of American Jews want rabbis to perform interfaith weddings, even when they involve the participation of gentile clergymen.

"The taboo on mixed marriages has clearly collapsed," said David Singer, Director of Research at the American Jewish Committee.

The pioneering material, part of AJC's 2000 Annual Survey of American Jewish Opinion, shows that a majority of American Jews would be unmoved if one of their own children married out of the Jewish faith. Thus, 56 percent of those surveyed disagree with the statement, "It would pain me if my child married a gentile," compared to 39 percent who said that they would be pained.

Only 12 percent of those surveyed "strongly disapprove" of mixed-marriage, compared to 40 percent who are "neutral," and 16 percent who see marriage between a Jew and a gentile as a "positive good."

Sixty-eight (68) percent of the respondents "disagree" with the position that "the best response to intermarriage is to encourage the gentile to convert to Judaism."

Notwithstanding these views, 69 percent of American Jews believe the Jewish community has an obligation to urge Jews to marry Jews.

The survey indicates strong support for rabbis to officiate at marriages between a Jew and a gentile. Thus, in one variant of the question, asked of half the sample, 78 percent of the respondents favor rabbinic officiation at Jewish-gentile marriages in some form and under some circumstances, while only 15 percent are firmly opposed.

In the second variant of the question, asked of the other half of the sample, 73 percent of the respondents favor rabbinic officiation at Jewish-gentile marriages in some form and under some circumstances, while 22 percent are firmly opposed.

The survey also shows a remarkable degree of openness to the involvement of gentile clergymen in mixed-married wedding ceremonies.

In one variant of the question, asked of half the sample, 42 percent of the respondents believe that "rabbis should officiate at a marriage between a Jew and a gentile even if a gentile clergyman is involved in the ceremony". In the second variant of the question, asked of the other half of the sample, 57 percent of the respondents take this position.

"The growing acceptability of mixed marriage coupled with a sharp decline in the percentage of respondents who favor conversion to Judaism is clearly dismaying," said Steven Bayme, Director of AJC's Contemporary Jewish Life Department.

"The Jewish community cannot afford to become neutral towards mixed marriage or conversion," said Dr. Bayme. "Rather, we must resist these trends by continuing to encourage in-marriage, conversion to Judaism of the non-Jewish spouse, and sustained dialogue with mixed marrieds in ways that preserve distinctively Judaic content and traditions. The Jewish community must articulate its distinctive messages to realize its goal of securing future continuity."

Only among the Orthodox, according to the survey, is there a large majority strongly opposed to mixed marriage.

Thus, 84 percent of the Orthodox respondents, as against 57 percent of the Conservative, 27 percent of the Reform, and 19 percent of the "just Jewish" "agree" with the statement "It would pain me if my child married a gentile."

Regarding officiation at mixed-married wedding ceremonies, 80 percent of Orthodox respondents, compared to 25 percent of the Conservative, 15 percent of the Reform, and 6 percent of the "just Jewish" take the position that "rabbis should refuse to officiate at any marriage between a Jew and a gentile."

The 2000 Annual Survey of American Jewish Opinion was conducted for AJC by Market Facts, Inc., a leading survey-research organization, which interviewed by telephone 1,010 Jews across the country during September 14-28, 2000. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.

The 2000 Annual Survey of American Jewish Opinion covered such issues as Israel and the peace process, political and social issues in the United States, perceptions of anti-Semitism, and Jewish identity concerns.

For more information, or to contact American Jewish Committee, see their website at: www.ajc.org