Texas Jewish Post (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 38, No. 32, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 9, 1984 Page: 2 of 20
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TEXAS J
Sociologist-Rabbi Traces Divorce-
Intermarriage Link
NEW YORK [JTA] - A
sociologist-rabbi has assert-
ed that “to a remarkable
extent,” doing what is right
for Jewish singles — provid-
ing them with opportunities
-T> to meet other Jewish singles
in socially attactive Jewish-
sponsored programs — “may
turn out to be the most
successful strategy for re-
co ducing the increase” in mar-
riages of Jews to non-Jews.
Dr. Mark Winer, senior
E; rabbi of Temple Beth David
of Commack, N.Y., made
that observation in a report
in the current issue of
Reform Judaism. He declar-
ed that the “sage advice”
offered by Jewish parents to
their children — “If you
want a happy marriage,
marry a Jew — intermar-
riage ends in divorce” has
lost most of its force because
of the rapid rise in divorce
among Jews.
“Although intermarriages
do not end in divorces as
frequently as they once did,
Jewish marriages are more
frequently ending in di-
vorce,” which often lead to
interfaith marriages, on
“ironic twist” which pre-
sents synagogue leaders
“with a fresh opportunity to
cope with the complex
phenomenon of intermar-
riage,” Winer declared.
The frequency of inter-
marriage has increased,
among the third native-born
generation of American
Jews, to one in three “but
contrary to popular stereo-
type, divorce is no more
frequent among mixed mar-
riages than it is among the
partners of marriages be-
tween born Jews.”
Winer asserted that all
the evidence indicates that
the “Jewish future” is best
served by marriage between
born Jews, adding that
Jewish identity uniquely
combines ethnic solidarity
and religious observance” of
Jewish traditions,” while
partners of mixed marriages
“show little concern for both
these facets.”
He contended that
“mounting evidence sug-
gests that a previous divorce
is the most powerful predic-
tor of a future inter-
marriage. Research has
shown that intermarriage is
four to ten times more
prevalent among second
marriages than among first
marriages. Jews who would
not consider interfaith mar-
riages in their first mar-
riages accept it readily in
their remarriages.”
Winer suggested three
explanations of why divorce
may lead to intermarriage.
He said the first is that most
persons entering second
marriages have completed
their child-bearing and the
matter of religious training
for their children is moot.
He said a second is that
despite its increased inci-
dence, divorce is still consid-
ered “deviant” behavior in
our society. Divorced Jews
typically experience a sense
of being outsiders in syna-
gogues, which are gener-
ally structured around the
life-style of the intact fam-
ily. “Their divorces facili-
tate involvement in a second
form of deviant behavior:
intermarriage.”
Winer said the third
explanation involves what
sociologists call “propin-
quity, the availability of
potential marital choices
within one’s age group and
geographic area. Previous
research has shown that the
highest rates of Jewish
intermarriage occur in the
areas with the lowest
Jewish population.” Also,
divorced Jews encounter “a
far lower number of Jewish
marriage prospects than
were available before they
first married.”
Winer concluded that syn-
agogue leaders “can act to
alter future intermarriage
statistics by helping Jews
who have been divorced to
feel less ‘deviant” within the
community. Through singles
programs which will counter
the propinquity problems
among single Jews,” syna-
gogues may be able to
maximize the concentration
of potential marriage choices
within various age groups.
To a remarkable extent
doing what’s right for
Jewish singles may turn out
to be the most successful
strategy for reducing the
increase in Jewish intermar-
riage,” he declared.
Report From Canada
Jewish Teachers Hard to Find
For Smaller Towns In Canada
Study Finds Few Women Hold Key
Positions In Canada’s Groups
BY BEN GALLOB
[Copyright 1984, Jewish
Telegraphic Agency, Inc.]
The problem of placement
of teachers in smaller
Canadian Jewish communi-
ties js one not only of a
shortage of Jewish teachers
in general but also one of
finding teachers who can be
jack-of-all trades teachers,
the placement director of
the Canadian Jewish Con-
gress (CJC) has reported.
Outside of Ontario’s major
centers, small pockets of
Jews live and raise their
children, trying to lead
Jewish lives themselves and
to provide their children
with a Jewish education, the
director told the Canadian
Jewish News. He is Dr.
Edmond Lipsitz, director of
the education and culture
committee of the CJC
Ontario region.
He said some of the
communities were so small
that the Jewish parents
cannot afford both a rabbi
and a teacher, so the
teachers must be versatile.
Despite the fact that there
is a teacher shortage and the
salaries offered in the
smaller communities are
“not high,” the Jews want a
generalist who can be rabbi,
teacher and cantor.
the 1,200 children getting a
Jewish education outside of
Toronto, their teacher may
be their rabbi. Jewish
schools are often located
adjacent to, or may be part
of, the synagogue.
The size, type and Jewish
ideology of these smaller
schools vary substan-
tially from one community to
the next. Some larger
centers like Ottawa main-
tain substantial day schools,
while other Jewish commun-
ities depend on Sunday
schools or classes after
public school.
Pupil populations vary
from as few as ten in small
communities to about 500 in
the larger ones. The ideol-
ogy can range from Reform
to very Orthodox. The CJC
operates a teacher place-
ment service, trying to bring
teachers to the smaller com-
munities.
According to a recent
report to the CJC Ontario
region, “in spite of all
attempts to prepare teach-
ers through seminars, uni-
versity programs and sum-
mer schools in Israel, the
future still looks bleak and
no easy solution is in sight.”
Finding teachers for such
smaller communities as
Belleville, Sudbury, and
from 12 to 40 Jewish
families, is particularly diffi-
cult, and those Jewish
families must often manage
to make do with the services
of “traveling teachers.”
One of them. Rabbi Meir
Gottesman, is a columnist
for the Canadian Jewish
News, who travels to com-
munities on weekends to
provide Jewish children
with the basics of a Jewish
education, Lipsitz said.
Teaching synagogue
skills, reading and writing
Hebrew, customs and cere-
monies, Bible studies and
Jewish history, “Gottesman
imparts the foundations of
Jewish culture to the kids of
Owen Sound,” said Lipsitz.
The demands on traveling
teachers are high. With only
two to three hours per week
available to teach children —
compared to the CJC recom-
mendation of at least six
hours — teachers do the best
they can under trying cir-
cumstances.
Lipsitz said that to help
them and others to become
better teachers the CJC
provides consultation serv-
ices and in-service programs
for them.
Each two years, the CJC
MONTREAL [JTA] -
The Canadian Jewish Con-
gress (CJC) has report-
ed that women are under-
represented in positions of
power in Jewish organiza-
tions in Canada.
This applies whether wo-
men are employees or volun-
teers, according to a CJC
study reported by the
Canadian Jewish News. The
study found that while 75
percent of all salaried
workers are women, they
tend to hold lower-paying
secretarial and clerical jobs.
The study found that 85
percent of full-time women
employees earned less than
$20,000 in 1981 while men
heavily dominate positions
paying $35,000 a year or
more.
Women hold six out of ten
of the professional adminis-
trative/managerial positions
at a senior level but their
salaries are not commensur-
ate with their titles. Among
Jewish organization posi-
tions in 1981 paying $35,000
or more a year, women held
fewer than 20 percent.
Among lay groups, wom-
the policy-making posts. In
Canadian Jewish agencies,
community councils and edu-
cational and cultural organi-
zations, male volunteers
were found to be predomi-
nant in such jobs.
The study found that,
among organizations which
have a woman in such a post,
only 16 percent of the
nominating committees are
headed by women. The best
showing for women chair-
men among lay groups were
found to be in campaign and
social planning, and on allo-
cation committees, in which
women were found to be
chairpersons in about half
the jobs.
Youth organizations were
found to have the lowest
proportion of women senior
professionals or adminis-
trators — 35 percent. Edu-
cational and cultural institu-
tions were the only areas in
which women truly domin-
ate the top staff jobs — 73
percent.
Women employees gener-
ally were found to be older
than men. About four in ten
of the men are under 25,
while only two in ten of
women are in that age
category. At least a third of
women are in the 41 to 55
percent of men are in that
category.
Women are also more
likely to hold part-time jobs
and are often ineligible for
benefits, particularly for
dental insurance, company
pensions and individual life
insurance plans, the study
found.
For the study, question-
naire were mailed to all
Canadian Jewish organiza-
tions, including schools but
not synagogues.
Dorothy Reitman, chair-
woman of the CJC law and
social action subcommittee
on the status of women, said
that the survey showed that,
“as in the general commun-
ity,” women in Canadian
Jewish organizations “are
being ghettoized into lower-
paying jobs and, when they
do occupy higher positions,
they are not receiving equal
pay for equal work.”
News Brief
NEW YORK [WNS] -
Only 72 Jews were granted
permission to emigrate from
the Soviet Union during
June, the National Confer-
ence on Soviet Jewry
reported. The agency said
that the monthly average
during the previous six
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Wisch, J. A. & Wisch, Rene. Texas Jewish Post (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 38, No. 32, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 9, 1984, newspaper, August 9, 1984; Fort Worth, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth834808/m1/2/?q=food+rule+for+unt+students: accessed July 1, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .