Intermarriage?

            Today in Jewish History we talked about inter-marriage. We talked about how intermarriage affects the Jewish people, to what extent Jewish authority should curb inter-marriage, or whether inter-marriage should be curbed at all. I learned that when Jews marry non-Jews, their children would most likely not identify as Jewish. We obviously do not want the Jewish population to go extinct, so why was most of our class in favor of allowing inter-marriage to take place?

            As Reform Jews, we grow up learning about the importance of accepting others. And as students who have most likely read romantic books of literature, we grow up learning that no matter what happens, true love will win in the end. These two beliefs are so deeply engrained in us, but they directly contradict the suggestion of preventing inter-marriage that Jewish leaders propose. What if our true love is not Jewish? Then, we wouldn’t be accepting of him or her into the Jewish community. Then, we wouldn’t even allow a potential love a chance to try to win. Don’t get me wrong, the future of Judaism is extremely important to me, but these beliefs of acceptance and love are vital to any good nature. I want the future generation to be able to believe in acceptance and love the same way I do. The natural perseverance of love may be a lie, but it’s one of the most important and beautiful lies we, as a society, have.