Conservatives soften on intermarriage http://blogs.jta.org/ENTRY_PERMALINK_HERE/conservatives-soften-on-intermarriage/ The battle among the Conservative Jewish establishment to convert the spouses of intermarried Jews is over, reports Stewart Ain in the New York Jewish Week: en-us uheilman@jta.org Copyright 2009 2009-07-09T;18:54:00-05:00 Comment by anti-intermarriage notowimps@yahoo.com N. Shuster is absolutely correct.  It’s impossible to “foster a Jewish marriage and Jewish family life” when a spouse is not Jewish.  There isn’t a Jewish marriage to begin with so how can there be a Jewish family?  If the Conservatives break down all barriers to accommodate the Gentiles then it might as well become the Unitarian Church.  When you stand for everything you eventually stand for nothing. N. Shuster is absolutely correct.  It’s impossible to “foster a Jewish marriage and Jewish family life” when a spouse is not Jewish.  There isn’t a Jewish marriage to begin with so how can there be a Jewish family?  If the Conservatives break down all barriers to accommodate the Gentiles then it might as well become the Unitarian Church.  When you stand for everything you eventually stand for nothing.

]]> 2012-02-09T;19:12:00-05:00 Comment by N. Shuster nashu24@yahoo.com It’s all quite sad.  Jewish continuity can only depend on a strong Jewish community, not on members (former?) who have already voted with their feet. Chasing after those who have indicated their lack of interest is a mug’s game, as they used to say. Are we a religion or a people? We used to think both, but not all definitions can bring us together. We have enough divisions. Accommodating all may prove an impossibility. It is better to be small and strong, than to maintain an illusion of numbers. We are Jews because we are volunteers, even if our numbers are on a decline. Bigger is obviously not better, if compromise leads to dilution. It’s all quite sad. 
Jewish continuity can only depend on a strong Jewish community, not on members (former?) who have already voted with their feet. Chasing after those who have indicated their lack of interest is a mug’s game, as they used to say.
Are we a religion or a people? We used to think both, but not all definitions can bring us together. We have enough divisions.
Accommodating all may prove an impossibility.
It is better to be small and strong, than to maintain an illusion of numbers. We are Jews because we are volunteers, even if our numbers are on a decline.
Bigger is obviously not better, if compromise leads to dilution.

]]> 2012-02-09T;19:12:00-05:00 Comment by rm plotzker rmplotzker@pol.net I’m not sure if the various arms are delusional, too risk averse for their own good or simply procrastinators who put off tasks that may evoke either justified or unjustified criticism but they have to deal with the intermarrieds among them.  To have an issue of their magazine devoted to people who have come to Conservative Judaism out of attraction to ideology while ignoring the high prevalence of their patrons who come to Conservative Judaism out of attraction to their spouse evades their reality.  It also diminishes the editorial credibility of what their editors opt to publish. Not only do they have to deal with the intermarrieds but they also have to deal with a dysfunctional family of branches like Men’s Clubs, Women’s League, Cantors, Rabbis, Educators, educational institutions and summer camps, et al, all with sometimes parochial agendas that diverge from a movement highly dependent on centrality of positions. Wishing the new USCJ Executive Director a sincere Bracha v’Hatzlacha as he tries to tame and streamline this bureacracy. rich the furrydoc I’m not sure if the various arms are delusional, too risk averse for their own good or simply procrastinators who put off tasks that may evoke either justified or unjustified criticism but they have to deal with the intermarrieds among them.  To have an issue of their magazine devoted to people who have come to Conservative Judaism out of attraction to ideology while ignoring the high prevalence of their patrons who come to Conservative Judaism out of attraction to their spouse evades their reality.  It also diminishes the editorial credibility of what their editors opt to publish.

Not only do they have to deal with the intermarrieds but they also have to deal with a dysfunctional family of branches like Men’s Clubs, Women’s League, Cantors, Rabbis, Educators, educational institutions and summer camps, et al, all with sometimes parochial agendas that diverge from a movement highly dependent on centrality of positions.

Wishing the new USCJ Executive Director a sincere Bracha v’Hatzlacha as he tries to tame and streamline this bureacracy.

rich the furrydoc

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