Interfaith marriage in Judaism

The Wedding Feast of Samson by Rembrandt, depicting the marriage of Samson and Delilah.

Interfaith marriage in Judaism (also called mixed marriage or intermarriage) was historically looked upon with very strong disfavor by Jewish leaders, and it remains a controversial issue among them today.[1] Many Jews followed the Talmud and the resulting Jewish law, Halakha until the advent of new Jewish movements following the Jewish Enlightenment resulted in the Haskala; in Halakha, marriage between a Jew and a gentile is both prohibited and also void under Jewish law.[2]

A 2020 survey conducted in the United States by the Pew Research Center found that 42% of all currently married Jewish respondents indicated they have a non-Jewish spouse. Among those who had married since 2010, 61% were intermarried and the percent increases to 72% when Orthodox Jews were excluded from the data.[3]

  1. ^ Mehta, Samira (28 May 2024). "For American Jews, interfaith weddings are a new normal – and creatively weave both traditions together". The Conversation. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  2. ^ Kiddushin 68b
  3. ^ "Jewish Americans In 2020: Marriage, families and children". Pew Research Center. 11 May 2021.