Intermarriage – marriage between a Jewish partner and a non-Jewish partner who does not convert, is considered a major challenge to Jewish continuity. Surveys have found that once Jews intermarry, their children are rarely raised as Jews, and most do not marry Jews. Research has also indicated that intermarriage, divorce, and low religiosity are all linked, both within generations and across generations. Conversely, inmarriage, marital stability, and higher religiosity are empirically and causally linked as well.
When the Jewish people were isolated and lived separately from the non-Jewish population, intermarriage was considered taboo, and intermarriage was low. Historically, when Jews have lived in accepting, open societies, the intermarriage rate has grown rapidly. For example, among non-Orthodox Jews who have married since 2000 in the United States, 72% have intermarried.
As Dennis Prager, co-author of ‘Ten questions people ask about Judaism,’ has said, “If Judaism is important to a person, then no arguments against intermarriage are necessary, but if Judaism is not important to a person, no arguments against intermarriage will be effective.”