OUR QUESTIONS:

1. What's your name?

2. Where do you go to school?

3. Do you think it's necessary to date only Jews?

4. Do you think it's necessary to marry a Jew?

5. How is dating Jews different form dating non-Jews?

YOUR ANSWERS:

1. Name withheld upon request

2. School not given.

3: Yes, because as time progresses with our lives, one never knows if the relationships we are in will carry on to the next step.

4: Yes, because when we start intermarrying, our traditions and other things like that are bound to be compromised and the Jewish people as a whole will start to decrease.

5: You can share everything and anything with a person who is Jewish. I have dated non-Jews before and it is very hard because they do not truly understand where you are coming from.

1. Name withheld upon request

2. School not given.

3: Yes, falling in love isn't instant... it happens over a period of time.

4: YES!

5: It's about being able to relate to each other on a cultural level. Judaism is such a big part of my life that a gentile person could not understand.

1. Justin

2. SUNY - Albany

3: No

4: Yes

5: As a male, it is different because the religion to raise the child in is determined by the mother, so I'd need a Jewish wife to raise my child Jewishly.

1. Jessica Danon

2. University of Judaism

3: I do feel that it is necessary to date only Jews simply because I want to marry a Jew. I also want to marry an educated person, so I wouldn't date a high school drop out either. I don't feel that it is wrong to date non-Jews if you don't plan on marrying a Jew or raising Jewish kids. It's all about a person's individual priorities.

4: In order to perpetuate the religion I believe it is necessary to marry a Jew which is what I plan. I want to raise observant Jewish children and it's nearly impossible to do that in a home in which one of the parents isn't Jewish.

5: Dating Jews is no different that dating non-Jews, unless you are a secular Jew dating a religious Jew or vice versa. There are more commonalities and more common idioms among Jews, that only another Jew would understand. One doesn't have to stop and explain every action, every word, and every object. I think it is just easier to date another Jew. Important Note though... When my parents married my father was a secular Jew and my mother a secular Protestant, now they are both shul going Jews. Not necessarily shomer shabbat and kashrut but they both go to shul and identify as Jewish. Growing up, I was not raised Jewish. I turned out a hardcore Conservative Jew, my brother a High Holiday Jew, and my sister will be somewhere in between us. Go Figure!!!

1. Jessica Friedman

2. Brandeis University

3: Yes. If you believe that marrying a Jew is important, then dating only Jews is also important.

4: Yes. While I think it is possible to have a working marriage between a Jew and a non-Jew, an important component of understanding and values that will be missing. I believe that raising Jewish children is important and this can most easily be accomplished when you are married to someone who has had the same Jewish experiences and environment as you while growing up.

5: When you date a Jew, he/she has insight into what kind of atmosphere you grew up in. A Jewish soul is different from any other soul and this difference is not easily explained. It is much easier to date someone who can understand and appreciate who you are as a Jew.

[Posted 6/16/04]