ORTHODOX JEWISH ADULT CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN OF INTERMARRIAGE

Dear Orthodox Jewish Descendants of Intermarriage:

B'ezras Hashem, (by the help of G-d), we have set aside a welcoming page for you because some of you may have special concerns that are not addressed by our "Jewish Children" page.

First, some of you have expressed concern that you might not be welcomed or understood by your peers in the Half-Jewish Network, given that an upbringing as an Orthodox Jew or an adult decision to live as an Orthodox Jew involve a lifestyle that is somewhat different from those lived by some of our other members.

Please have no worries about this! Our Coordinator, Robin Margolis, had an Orthodox Jewish mother.  Robin, our Board, and our membership have heartily welcomed our Orthodox Jewish members from the beginning of the Half-Jewish Network's existence.

Second, some of you -- based on previous bad experiences with other non-Orthodox Jews -- have asked if other adult descendants of intermarriage will respect your choice to live as an Orthodox Jew.

In our experience, the vast majority of adult children and grandchildren of intermarriage are very friendly to all of their peers in the Half-Jewish Network, and exhibit only courteous interest and eager curiosity about the religious and secular culture choices of the other group members.

Third, we have received inquiries from Orthodox descendants of intermarriage about comments on our message board that reflect the bad experiences that some adult descendants of intermarriage have had with Orthodox Judaism, such as being told that by Orthodox rabbis, lay people, and family members that they are "not Jewish" or that their previous Orthodox or non-Orthodox conversions were not valid, or being given unpleasant news about the continuing controversies in Israel over "who is a Jew?" etc.

Several of you have expressed bewilderment at these accounts, stating that you are well-treated by your Orthodox Jewish communities, and have not had these types of experiences.

It's true that some of us have had very good interactions with Orthodox Jewish rabbis, lay people and family members. And, sadly, some of us have had bad interactions with them.

But we are increasingly aware that Orthodox Judaism is not a monolith, but a complex collection of disparate groups, which differ widely in how they treat members of interfaith families. Some Orthodox communities are very nice to adult descendants of intermarriage who opt to join them; others are not.

We welcome hearing about all of your positive experiences with Orthodox Judaism and why its way of life drew you to it, if you would want to share that information with us at any time.

And if you have had any negative experiences with Orthodox Judaism and opted to remain Orthodox, we would be very pleased to hear your reasons for remaining Orthodox, should you wish to share them, as we are certain that those reasons involve a high degree of commitment and spirituality.

And if you have opted to leave Orthodox Judaism, temporarily or permanently, we respect your reasons for doing so, we honor that part of your past, and we strongly support your quest for a spiritual or cultural home.

In conclusion, you are likely to find that all of us, no matter what our spiritual and cultural affiliations, have a sympathetic connection with you from our shared histories of being raised by parents and grandparents who grew up in two different faith-based cultures.

May HaKodosh Boruch Hu (the Holy One, Blessed be He) bless you to go from strength to strength.