Problems With Jewish Interfaith Marriage

By Timothy Adams


It is a time of great rejoicement and nothing should detract from this in the days leading up to the event. Jewish interfaith marriage has become widespread today with the advent of the World Wide Web and online dating sites. It is not the same as years gone by where marriages were arranged between families and partners were chosen from an early age.

This can pose a problem for some especially with those who have traditional parents and expect their children to marry within in their respective faiths. However after much deliberation it is the children who win this war of faiths and opt to marry out of their faith. With time and with lots of love, many of these marriages do work and children born into them get exposure to both faiths carried by parents.

It does take quite a concerted effort to find out more about a religion if one is not accustomed to its laws and traditions. Research has become easier with the advent of the Internet and many find themselves turning to this tool to acquaint themselves with customs and practices that are foreign to them. It is quite easily achieved online where one can pose questions to learned men such as Rabbis.

With an interfaith marriage, Orthodox Rabbis will not condone this so the opportunity of having a celebration in an Orthodox Synagogue is out of the question. Many bypass this by marrying the Reform way and having the reception and ceremony on these premises. It can be a trying time especially if parents wanted their children to marry inside their respective faiths.

Laws pertaining to food will have to be learnt about should one of the partners feel they would like to know more. This sometimes work and the Jew in the partnership will appreciate the effort made by their spouse to be. It takes a lifetime to know a fraction of the material contained in the Torah or Bible as it is known in English spheres.

As well as this, seafood may not be consumed at all and this goes for prawns, lobster, shrimp, crab and many more delicacies that can be found. Fish may be consumed but the prerequisite for rendering them kosher is that they must have fins and scales. One does not have to bother oneself too much about this especially if one will be using a kosher caterer recognised by a Jewish court of Law.

Being prepared takes some investigations and asking a Rabbi what is required is a must. They are there to guide one and to put one at ease whilst the preparations are underway. Questions will arise as to what is allowed and what is not but with time these tend to work themselves out for themselves.

An interfaith marriage has become more and more desirable today. Jews want the benefits of experiencing a wedding such as this. If in doubt, it is best to speak to those who have done it and how they went about preparing for this special day.




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