In more recent times intermarriage of Jews with christians in the United States has continued unabated. In fact, very few of the original Jewish settlers, who were of Spanish and Portuguese origin, have left descendants. Most have been absorbed by intermarriage. For lack of denominational statistics, it is impossible to state accurately the extent of intermarriage between Jews and christians in the United States at the present time. It is known to be very common in the western and southern states, and less so in the eastern states. In a recent paper by Professor M. Schlesinger, of the Hebrew Union College, he quotes Rabbi George Zepin, director of circuit preaching, to the effect that in the northern part of the United States five per cent, is the maximum proportion of mixed marriages, while in the south the proportion ranges from 20 to 50 per cent., 33 per cent, being most nearly correct.[1]
There are no available statistics as to the frequency of mixed marriages in New York City to-day. From the census of the Federation of Churches taken in 1902 of the Twenty-second Assembly District (37th to 55th streets, east side), there were found several cases, about one per cent., of intermarriage. But this does not by any means represent the real conditions. Among many of the older Jewish families in this city we find many cases of intermarriage, and even on the east side, among the immigrant Jews, they are no more rare. In the western states it is very common, and the rabbis have of late actually sounded an alarm as to the danger of mixed marriages.
We can conclude with the words of Arthur Ruppin, who thoroughly studied the problem in Europe: "The best preventive of intermarriage is the Ghetto. In Galicia, Russia, the east end of London and the east side of New York, they are rare. But in countries where the Jews participate in the social and economic life of the general population as equals mixed marriages do occur and are steadily increasing in frequency, as is the case in Prussia, Denmark, Hungary, Italy, the western states, etc." The largest proportion of mixed marriages in Europe is contracted in large cities, as we see from the figures given above is the case in Berlin, Vienna, Budapest, Copenhagen, etc. This is because in large cities the population (Jewish as well as christian) has a higher intellectual standard, and these are better opportunities for people of different faith to come into intimate contact with each other.
(To be continued.)
- ↑ See Public. Jewish Histor. Soc, Vol. VI., pp. 92-93.
