Interfaith marriage in Judaism
A 2020 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center in the United States reported that 42% of married American Jews respondents had a non-Jewish spouse.
Prominent figures, such as Abraham, Moses, and David, are described as taking non-Israelite women as wives or consorts.
Interfaith marriage, however, was widely condemned, as it was believed that such a union could result in the perversion or abandonment of the Israelite religion.
[6] Israelites were permitted to marry foreign female prisoners of war under strict conditions: the women could not be from cities within the Land of Israel, as these might have been inhabited by the forbidden nations.
Additionally, the captive woman was to be a virgin and not allowed to have any sexual relations with her captor until after she had mourned her absent parents for a full month.
[8][9][10] The Torah posits that a Jewish soldier should not marry a captive non-Jewish woman as a wife because the son would rebel against his father; this would later happen to King David and Absalom.
[19] In 1807, Napoleon's Grand Sanhedrin declared these marriages civilly valid, though not recognized under Jewish law, and stated that they should not be treated as anathema.
[23][24] Classical rabbinic interpretations maintain that biblical intermarriages, such as that of Joseph and Asenath or Ruth to Boaz, occurred after the non-Israelite partner's conversion.
[27] Foundlings—children abandoned without identifiable parents—were generally classified as non-Jews concerning intermarriage if found in areas with at least one non-Jewish resident.
[35] Orthodox teachings view marriage between a Jewish man and woman as a reunion of two halves of the same soul, making relationships with non-Jews a disgrace.
[45] Some Reform congregations, including New York City’s Central Synagogue, conduct interfaith marriages to promote Jewish continuity, with the aim of encouraging non-Jewish spouses to convert.
Masorti Judaism also rejects patrilineal descent, though some Conservative rabbis may accept Reform conversions even if they do not meet traditional halachic criteria.
In certain cases, a Jew may marry a non-Jew who believes in God as understood by Judaism and rejects other theological frameworks.
[49] By the early 20th century, intermarriage rates remained low in many Germanic regions of Central Europe,[50] where about 5% of Jews married non-Jews.
[57] This trend has led to widespread concern among some Jewish leaders, who view the increasing rates of intermarriage as a potential threat to the long-term survival of Judaism.
[61][62] In some cases, children of interfaith marriages were raised in the non-Jewish parent's religion while maintaining a sense of Jewish ethnic identity.
[66][67][68] Jewish counter-missionary and anti-missionary organizations, including Outreach Judaism, work to discourage Jews from converting to Christianity.
[69][70] Lehava members have patrolled the Israeli settlement of Pisgat Ze'ev in East Jerusalem to discourage Jewish women from dating Palestinian men.
Similarly, the city of Kiryat Gat implemented school programs warning Jewish girls against dating local Bedouin men.
[73][74] Organizations such as Chemla and Yad L'Achim actively oppose interfaith marriages and engage in efforts to stop Jewish women from being in relationships with Palestinians.
