In a book written by Goldscheider Essay

Studying the Jewish Future, the author revealed the reasons for the unexpected results, that instead of a vanishing race, the reality is that of a easy society. And the explanation stooge be upset down into the following 1. Conversion It is surprising to find out that a considerable number of gentileish spouse opted to be converted to Judaism. It must be n integrityd though that the said conversion may be formal or informal entirely true conversion is rather tag by a following biotic federation norms and values. 2.Acceptance the Jewish community is now more(prenominal) open to the creative thinker of exogamy and this has resulted in a more openness which predictably made it easier for non-Jewish spouse to get clear to Jewish ways. 3. Deliberate Out ease up the Jewish community and its institutions ar forced to reach out to intermarried couples and by doing so encouraged non-Jews to be respect their beliefs and for any(prenominal) a desire to be counted as Jews. Amb ivalence There is a dramatic change in perception and out grimace that resulted in an forward motion in how the Jewish community in general is treating intermarried couples.Still, the Jewish trustingness would never baffle reached its current position, a survivor of the final solution and more other forms of persecution without creating a defense mechanism that ensured the survival not tho of its lineage solely also of its beliefs and springer. It is this defense mechanism that made it saturated for other to jump on the accept the intermarried couples bandwagon and prevented some to see the possibilities not unless in conclusion a novel way of thriving in a modern society similar America tho also a novel way of finding new converts. In unitary extreme, exogamy is one valid form of proselytizing whose impact is not yet fully measured.But as mentioned earlier, not everyone is convinced that the clip has come for the Jews to fully open its house to the Gentiles. Bayme and Rosen provided an example of this ambivalence when they cited the habitual Mordecai Kaplan who at one point encouraged intermarriages Jews must meet every(prenominal)(prenominal) situations that might range to mixed marriages, not fearfully or grudgingly, but in the spirit of encountering an expected development With a belief in the integrity and values of his own civilization, the Jewish partner to the marriage frozen make Judaism the civilization of the home And yet two years later on the same person saidSince Jews are a minority and Judaism is clear to tremendous disintegrative forces from non-Jewish environment it cannot approve of uncontrolled intermarriage with non-Jews. If however, a non-Jew who desire to marry a Jew, after studying what is tough in being a Jew and what are the principles and practices of Judaism, he should be given(p) every encouragement and should be welcomed into the Jewish community (Kaplan, as qtd. in Bayme & Rosen, 1994, p. 268). Conclusio n After thousands of years since God has declared them the chosen slew the Jews continue to struggle and to find their channelise in the world.Every coevals is pressured to find ways to pass on what they dupe received from their ancestors to the succeeding(prenominal) multiplication of Jews. Each time the baton is passed the more it becomes more unwieldy to continually display integrity, commitment, and consistency. Just like other darkened-fashioned religions, Judaism is finding it extremely difficult to solve the dilemma of identity and relevance. The present generation can enforce and strengthen their spiritual identity and dig ample into their past to find that old familiar path that will lead them to their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses.But every time they struggle to keep their old-fashioned traditions and beliefs together they risk losing their relevance to a fast evolving world. This is especially true in America the worlds most advanced and most reg ent(postnominal) nation. As a result the new generation of Jews are abandoning ancient traditions and exchanging it with new ideas. But this is just a part of a larger problem. What they are most concern about is the marriage of Jews to non-Jews or religious marriages. As mentioned in the introduction part of this paper, the Jews can turn toly draw in their lineage to an ancient community, the Israelites, children of Jacob.A long time ago, they co-existed with ancient people groups but they are the only fortunate ones to establish survived the passage of time. It can even be argued that they are the only surviving, direct descendants of ancient tribes. This made them a special group. A fact that is not confounded in the collective psyche of the Jewish people. This ability to survive against all odds does not come without a price. They have developed a sort of defense mechanisms against the melting pot effect of the world. The world is like one giant sponge of line upity, suc king them in to make them conform to popular trends and standards.The Jewish people, for thousands of years were able to resist that pull. They have their tight diet, their festivals, their rituals, and their traditions that must be strictly followed wherever they are. Whether they are in the middle of prison, or in a land filled with racism they have to remember who they are and by doing all these things they have fought back defunctness and remained a distinct people group. The Jewish race also has one major secret weapon and it is the implied rule that they should not marry non-Jews. At low glance it is easy to believe that they perpetuate this rule for the rice beer of practicality.It would be impossible for an outsider to keep up with their way of breeding unless one has postulateed of these things since early childhood. But a close look into this code of conduct reveals a religion that is so exacting that it sees intermarriage as a threat to the continuity of this partic ular group. For thousands of years they had succeeded in maintaining the status quo. Wherever they went they formed a close knit community of fellow believers that find support and strength from one another. The long tarradiddle of persecution and antisemitism forced them to band close together as one family.It is understandable why for a long time outsiders are loath to penetrate their strong defenses so that they can get an idea as to what Judaism is all about. Moreover, anti-Semitism is a serious problem that strongly discourages a potential suitor from risking his life for someone that is as enigmatic as a Jewish girl. Everything went fine until after World War II. It seems that the final solution has placed the Jews in the limelight and not to discount also the successes of the Holocaust survivors in the field of finance and business that may well have contributed to their fame in the international stage.Another factor is the settling of Jews in America, first coming in drove s as refugees and then finally establishing a place they can call home. In the raw(a) World the Jewish community was able to thrive in an environment where anti-Semitism is denounced as something belong to a bygone era. Then an unexpected thing happened. The lessening of anti-Semitism no doubt changed the way Americans see the Jews. In short Jewish men and women became desirable in the eyes of modern day Gentiles. And since they are in the land of the free, the new generation of Jews can find nada wrong in interfaith marriages.But for the elders, especially communal leadership have a different perspective. They are perhaps remnants of that era where Jews are considered as the persecuted one in Europe and in many separate of the world. It may have been a difficult notion to entertain for these old folks that a Jew can finally live with a non-Jew and yet retain its identity and continue practicing their faith. They cannot see the gray area, only the black and white shades that say s either one is fully act Jew, focused on his religious duties or none at all. Moreover, the change magnitude rate of intermarriages was seen as a black-eye for the Jewish community.They interpret it as a growing weakness in the institution that teaches Jewish beliefs and traditions. It was also taken as rebellion towards parents and to their way of life. In modern times, there are researchers like Goldscheider who contends that the elders made a fundamental error in judgment. He argues that the reason for the negative assessment of intermarriage is a wrong perspective. He hastens to say that if the elders and the whole Jewish community can see what intermarriage is doing to the community in general then they will be more open to the idea of intermarriage.Firs of all, intermarriages are means for increasing the number of Jews in America. This is because studies have found a significant percentage of non-Jews impulsive to learn more about the Judaism, willing to let their childre n grow up as followers of Judaism and in many instances non-Jews are getting converted formally or informally. Goldscheider warns though that in order for this new trend to be a source of joy for communal leaders and elders they need to have a paradigm shift.They no longer have to limit their idea Jewishness on the basis of birth but they must be willing to accept that a true Jew is not someone with a direct lineage to the ancient people found in the Jewish Bible, but they are people who are in love with Jewish customs and tradition and that they are eager to lead their children in following their lifestyle. For Goldscheider this is what twenty-first century needs and for him this is what intermarriage brings to the Jewish experience.Works Cited Bayme, Steven. Jewish Arguments and Counterarguments. New Jersey KTAV Publishing House, 2002. Bayme, Steven & Gladys Rosen.The Jewish Family and Jewish Contiunity. New Jersey KTAV Publishing, 1994. Goldscheider, Calvin. are American Jews Va nishing Again? Ed. Put Name of Editor of the book bind was taken from. Place of Publication Publisher, year of publication. _____________________.Studying the Jewish Future. Seattle, WA University of Washington Press, 2004. Jewish Bible. Retrieved 13 November 2007 from http//www. breslov. com/bible/Joshua3. htm3 Shapiro, Edward. A conviction for Healing American Jewry Since World War II. MA The John Hopkins Press, 1992. Sklare, Marshall. sense American Jewry. New Jersey Transaction Books, 1982.