Jewish-American Intermarriage The United States of America has become a symbol of freedom to the rest of the world. People from nations everywhere come to this country in pursuit of the "American Dream," for America grants people opportunities that are hard to find elsewhere. In the past few centuries, our country has become a melting pot for many different ethnicities and cultures; while groups still maintain their diverse identities, many of them adapt to an American way of life. This has been the case for Jewish-Americans. Once a major target of anti-Semitism, American Jews have truly established themselves in this nation and have even earned the respect and acceptance of many. This assimilation of Jews into American society has caused a substantial increase in intermarriage, ironically increasing the possibility of destroying what is left of Jewish identity and unity.

On a positive note, the intermarriage of Jewish-Americans has become a sign that more and more Jews are accepted as a people into this country; however, this also means that as Jewish people marry non-Jewish people, they are losing a degree of their heritage in some way. This can develop into a very significant problem, because over time and across generations, Jewish heritage might become lost altogether. Then, the very thing Jewish immigrants fought for when they came to this country -- acceptance -- will become meaningless. Isn't it ironic that this assimilation into American society could be the foundation for intermarriage, and thus the indirect cause of Jewish decline?

As Jewish immigrants moved to the United States, they quickly adapted to an American way of life while still sustaining a strong commitment to their Jewish culture. "Most new arrivals were committed to retaining their distinctiveness and their sense of Jewish peoplehood" (Feagin 123). However, second-generation Jews became...

The media and the public schools made it easy for them to pick up the English language and American values, and they quickly became the rope in a tug of war between their parents and a dominating American culture (Feagin 123). Many second-generation Jewish women were pressured by society to reject their mothers' image of "poverty and strong-woman reality" and instead assume the more lady-like, devoted-housewife qualities of that time (Feagin 124).
Values changed even more for third-generation Jewish-Americans. It was no longer as important to live in predominantly Jewish neighborhoods; thus, if Jews were no longer primarily surrounded by other Jews, they would naturally live near and meet many non-Jews. Also, third-generation women felt the need for freedom against their mothers' roles in Jewish-American society and began to struggle against a life constrained by female gender expectations and limitations (Feagin 124). All of these factors have made it easy and convenient for intermarriage to occur. Feagin says: "Intermarriage has generally increased with each successive generation, reflecting the decline of negative images, desire to assimilate, and greater acceptance of ethnic diversity in the United States" (Feagin 125).

The number of interfaith marriages has risen steadily since the 1960s, from 11% prior to 1965 to 57% as of the late 1980s (Feagin 125). In the year 2000, the ASAJO reported that although 85% of Jewish respondents had a Jewish spouse, 64% said that one or more of their children married a non-Jewish person (Feagin 125). That is a tremendous number given the already small population of Jewish people living in America. Compare this to other minority groups in America -- according to 2000 Census data, an…