Intermarriage and Jewish Journeys in
the United States
The National Center for Jewish Policy Studies at Hebrew College
March 2008

Arnold Dashefsky
Zachary I. Heller

Executive summary [PDF - 28k]
Complete study [PDF - 520k]

This 68-page study sheds new light on the topic of intermarriage. Using qualitative and quantitative methods, the study examines 149 couples from Boston, St. Louis, San Francisco and Atlanta, and includes a series of recommendations on steps the Jewish community should consider to support couples and children of interfaith marriages.

Key questions include:

1. What are the factors that attract interfaith couples to Judaism and the Jewish community?
2. What are the factors that repel interfaith couples from Judaism and the Jewish community?
3. How do the needs of interfaith families and concerns in regard to the Jewish community change over time?
4. Given that we can answer the above questions, how should the Jewish community most effectively respond to interfaith marriage?

The study was prepared by Arnold Dashefsky, the Doris and Simon Konover Professor of Judaic Studies at the University of Connecticut, and Zachary Heller, Associate Director of the National Center for Jewish Policy Studies at Hebrew College.

For more information or to receive a printed copy of the study, please contact Zachary Heller, zheller@hebrewcollege.edu, 617-559-8792. 


About the Center
Bridging the gap between the community's elaborate policy making structures and diverse academic resources, the Center fosters collaboration and integration of lay leadership, communal professionals and scholars. Projects anticipate and define issues, interpret data and determine practical applications of policy outcomes.

The Center maintains the rigorous academic standards of its predecessor, targeting significant issues with a prescience that has been praised by communal leaders and professionals—often anticipating questions that have become core concerns of the American Jewish community. Cognizant and respectful of historic roots and developments, the Center strives to identify the best choices in ever-changing social, religious and geopolitical environments.

Dr. David M. Gordis, President of Hebrew College and founder of the Wilstein Institute in 1988, serves as Director of the National Center for Jewish Policy Studies. Rabbi Zachary I. Heller is Associate Director.

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For more information, please contact the Center's office:
Telephone: 617-559-8790
Fax: 617-559-8791
Email: jewishpolicy@hebrewcollege.edu