The Importance of Outreach
1996-1997 Survey of Jewish Communal Professionals
When asked, "how important is it that the Jewish community
offer outreach programs to interfaith couples and children
of interfaith marriages?," over
90% of survey respondents believed that outreach efforts
were somewhat or very important [See Table
3]. Only 1% of survey respondents
said that outreach was not at all important, while only
another 5% said outreach was "not very important;"
23% thought outreach was somewhat important, and 70%
felt that it was very important that the Jewish
community offer outreach programs for the intermarried
and their children.
TABLE 3
How Important Is It That
The Jewish Community Offer Outreach Programs to
Interfaith Couples?
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Survey respondents estimated that relatively high
proportions of their local Jewish world had directly
experienced intermarriage. Regarding local community,
professional colleagues, clients, their own family and
friends, and the lay leadership of their agency, respondents
were asked: "As best you can approximate, what percentage
of...has directly experienced intermarriage--that is,
either they are intermarried themselves, or they are
children of intermarried couples, or their siblings,
children or grandchildren are intermarried?" The Jewish
communal professionals indicated that almost half [48%]
of clients/members of their agency, over half of the
local Jewish community [52%] and approximately one-third
of their family and friends [35%], professional colleagues
and co-workers [32%], and lay leadership of their agency
[39%] had been effected by intermarriage. In this context,
outreach programs for the intermarried were seen as
essential.
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