The Jewish Chronicle

Intermarri­age increase stands out as community travels on twin tracks

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likely to have a non-Jewish partner (21 per cent) than men (14 per cent), a reflection perhaps that they know the Jewish status of their children will remain unaffected.

JPR’s unsurprisi­ng observatio­n that mixed-faith families are likely to be less connected to the community – at least from typical religious markers – than allJewish households will reinforce the fears of those who regard intermarri­age as a threat to the continuity and cohesion of the Jewish community. Some will argue that we should be redoubling efforts to reach out to mixed couples to make them feel welcome and try to encourage them to raise their children Jewish. But whatever happens, our notion of community may have be changing as more people who were not born Jewish potentiall­y become associated with it.

Whereas marrying outside the faith was almost universall­y seen as a red line, opposition has waned. When asked if marrying another Jew was important in the latest survey, 62 per cent said yes – slightly less than the 65 per cent in 2013.

If opening more Jewish schools was regarded as one way to reduce intermarri­age, the latest figures do not suggest that has had a great impact – although one could argue that without them, the rate would be higher.

Whereas British Jews generally remain attached to Israel, the decline in those willing to call themselves Zionist may leave some shaking their heads.

The drop could reflect a dissociati­on with Israel that is apparent among the young.

JPR notes that views about Israel may have changed post-October 7 and in the coming year it will no doubt poll the community to see what effect the recent terrible events have had.

The most revealing finding may well be the low levels of belief in a personal God and in the divinity of the Torah, which underpin traditiona­l Jewish faith. The figures on the origins of the Torah echo those from the first big JPR survey of 1995 (in fact, the new one shows slightly higher levels of religious belief on this question).

There remains a significan­t mismatch in belief between the religious leadership of central Orthodoxy, which institutio­nally remains a dominant force in terms of mainstream synagogues and schools, and many of those who affiliate to it. Even among those who are strictly observant but not Charedi, one in five does not believe in a personal God and more than two out of five do not think the Torah is literally the word of God.

Perhaps many British Jews have found a way happily to muddle along without caring too much about the official doctrines of the synagogues they belong to. Or could new religious thinking be needed in future to close the gap between practice and belief.

We may not have reached the US rate – but we may be on our way

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