cover image MAKING A SUCCESSFUL JEWISH INTERFAITH MARRIAGE: The Jewish Outreach Institute Guide to Opportunities, Challenges and Resources

MAKING A SUCCESSFUL JEWISH INTERFAITH MARRIAGE: The Jewish Outreach Institute Guide to Opportunities, Challenges and Resources

Kerry M. Olitzky, with Joan Peterson Littman. . Jewish Lights, $18.95 (250pp) ISBN 978-1-58023-170-1

"Out of three million Jewish households, there are one million intermarried households in the United States. This is the reality of contemporary Jewish life," says Rabbi Olitzky. But for Olitzky, a popular author of several books on Jewish spirituality and practice, such statistics offer glimpses of opportunity, not reasons to mourn. He and Littman "do not see a million people who have married out; instead, we see the potential of a million married people who have chosen to marry into the Jewish community." They issue a clarion call for interfaith couples to be lovingly embraced by rabbis, synagogues and Hebrew schools—not judged or pitied. This guide is chock-full of advice, personal stories and resources for interfaith couples, usually Jewish-Christian but also including a few examples of other pairings. Olitzky begins by encouraging couples to get to know each other's religious backgrounds and expectations right away; he also provides counsel for breaking the ice with potential in-laws. Other chapters deal with holidays and life-cycle events, stressing the importance of communication and priorities at these important times. Olitzky, true to the form of his earlier books, also includes a lovely chapter on "nurturing the Jewish spirit and soul," building one's own spiritual strength through ritual, study and prayer. The book closes with consideration of special circumstances, such as marrying later in life, marrying across racial as well as religious lines or the additional challenges of gay and lesbian unions. This is a fine and practical resource for interfaith couples. (Feb.)