Last week, we reported in these pages that based on current age contours, the next 40 years will see a large expansion of the Orthodox population, alongside deep declines in the number of Conservative and Reform Jews. To take one startling statistic, of many: For every 100 Orthodox Jews 60-69, we have 575 children under…
The Jewish world has been obsessing over genetics recently. Are we or are we not white? Has the Khazar hypothesis been conclusively disproven? All these are interesting questions that are fun to discuss, but it’s time to take a breather. Not only are the tests that tell you your ancestry less reliable than people believe…
There is a vibrant debate going on about how the Jewish community should treat interfaith couples and the children of intermarried families. I understand why the debate is a difficult one, and why major Jewish institutions wrestle with it. On campus, however, the debate is largely over. At UCLA Hillel, we regularly serve students who…
Last week, the Forward published a piece by Allison Darcy entitled “Are Your Views on Intermarriage Racist?” It’s a well-written and thoughtful piece, and even as a religious woman who is opposed to intermarriage, I agree with many of her points. Particularly this one: “There is a big difference between wanting to marry someone who…
Just over five years ago, a well-intentioned rebbetzin presented me with a gift. I thought it might be a book on Jewish feminism or ritual, the things I am most passionate about academically. Instead, I found an orange book that boldly displayed its title: “Dear Rabbi, Why Can’t I Marry Her?” At the time, I…
Welcome back to Jane Looking Forward! We’re now in the last week of summer vacations, with Rosh Hashanah fast approaching. If you wish to continue reading this weekly newsletter, sign up here. And spread the word! Earlier this year, the Fourth Universalist Church, a progressive congregation on a lovely corner of Central Park West, was…
A Denver, Colorado synagogue and church are joining forces to help an immigrant from El Salvador who fears her life will be in danger if deported back to her homeland. Temple Micah and the Park Hill United Methodist Church are holding a joint interfaith prayer service Wednesday welcoming Araceli Velasquez and her family to take…
A Hindu woman and a Jewish woman tied the knot this week in a ceremony that’s being hailed as Britain’s first interfaith lesbian wedding. “It’s really nice to now have a Hindu wedding here, because it brings both of us together and completes both of us in my eyes,” Miriam Jefferson told the Daily Mail,…
