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Reform Movement Changes Intermarriage Strategy

Proposes special blessings instead of discouragement

by
Marc Tracy
March 09, 2010

This was in the morning round-up, but it seems like big enough news to highlight: The Central Conference of American Rabbis, which represents thousands of Reform Jewish clergy, two years ago convened a task force to study the question of intermarriage, and that group has now proposed moving away from discouraging Jews from marrying non-Jews and toward encouraging those Jews who do marry non-Jews to maintain Jewish homes.

The panel did not advocate changing Reform Judaism’s current rules, which leave the question of whether or not to officiate at interfaith weddings up to individual rabbis. (Conservative and Orthodox Judaism bar their rabbis from doing this; Reconstructionists also delegate that decision to each rabbi.) Rather, the panel suggests that the movement establish special blessings to codify and recognize these unions.

What do you guys think?

Marc Tracy is a staff writer at The New Republic, and was previously a staff writer at Tablet. He tweets @marcatracy.