How Many Israelis Would Intermarry?

 Two and a half years ago, Israel’s ministry of absorption had to withdraw a campaign aimed at Israeli expats living in America. The aim of the campaign was to convince those Israelis to come back home. The means, some US Jews thought at the time, were outrageous. Israel’s campaign made it seem as if there is no hope for a Jew in America and no future for him other than assimilation. That is, it implied that intermarriage leads to assimilation.

Of course, the debate in the US over the impact, the inevitability, and the proper way to respond to intermarriage is a heated one. Two weeks ago, I posted a new set of data from Steven Cohen that points to the connection between intermarriage and distancing from Israel. In recent months I also wrote several posts following rabbi Rick Jacobs’ remarks at the Reform biennial concerning interfaith marriages. Intermarriage looms large in the American discussion and also in the Israeli discussion about the American Jewish community – or the Diaspora, as Israelis tend to call it.