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    <title>Op&#45;Ed: Denominational bickering hurts outreach efforts</title>
    <link>http://jta.org/ENTRY_PERMALINK_HERE/op-ed-denominational-bickering-hurts-outreach-efforts/</link>
    <description>Two proponents of outreach to intermarried families argue that denominational quarreling will hurt the Jewish community&apos;s ability to grow and thrive.</description>
    <dc:language>en-us</dc:language>
    <dc:creator>bronfmanolitzky@jta.org</dc:creator>
    <dc:rights>Copyright 2008</dc:rights>
    <dc:date>2008-11-12T;13:01:00-05:00</dc:date>
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    <item>
      <title>Comment by Michelle F.</title>
      <link>ogive48824@mypacks.net</link>
      <description>I think intermarriage is what is destroying Judaism today.


By making excuses for this behavior, by rewarding it by welcoming intermarriages into the religion with open arms instead of discouraging this, only insures our own destruction and dilution of our ancestry. 

That is why it is suppose to be so difficult to become a Jew. 

I was taught to stick to my own, per say. 

In high school when I wanted to date non&#45;Jews,  I would tell my parents there were no normal Jewish guys. 

Their response was &#8220;If Hitler didn&#8217;t kill 6 Million Jews, there might be one normal one for you.&#8221;

You know what, families have not instilled  this sense of importance, continuing the Jewish race. Or the sense of urgency because or numbers are dwindling and what will happen in years to come if we as a people keep intermarrying.&amp;nbsp; 


This is an issue of recent times, so obviously it is not a result of the Talmud, or which sect one chooses to belong. It is our own self destruction.


So is it a denominational difference or the fact that Jews today are not teaching the importance of our religion and staying and marring within it? 

That is how to strengthen and perpetuate our people and faith, not making it easy and having mixed congregations bastardizing the religion.


I was brought up in a Conservative congregation.</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I think intermarriage is what is destroying Judaism today.
</p>
<p>
By making excuses for this behavior, by rewarding it by welcoming intermarriages into the religion with open arms instead of discouraging this, only insures our own destruction and dilution of our ancestry. 
<br />
That is why it is suppose to be so difficult to become a Jew. 
<br />
I was taught to stick to my own, per say. 
<br />
In high school when I wanted to date non-Jews,  I would tell my parents there were no normal Jewish guys. 
<br />
Their response was &#8220;If Hitler didn&#8217;t kill 6 Million Jews, there might be one normal one for you.&#8221;
<br />
You know what, families have not instilled  this sense of importance, continuing the Jewish race. Or the sense of urgency because or numbers are dwindling and what will happen in years to come if we as a people keep intermarrying.&nbsp; 
</p>
<p>
This is an issue of recent times, so obviously it is not a result of the Talmud, or which sect one chooses to belong. It is our own self destruction.
</p>
<p>
So is it a denominational difference or the fact that Jews today are not teaching the importance of our religion and staying and marring within it? 
<br />
That is how to strengthen and perpetuate our people and faith, not making it easy and having mixed congregations bastardizing the religion.
</p>
<p>
I was brought up in a Conservative congregation.
</p>]]></content:encoded>
    <dc:date>2009-11-08T;20:17:00-05:00</dc:date>
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    <item>
      <title>Comment by John Hanks</title>
      <link>portage@uwyo.edu</link>
      <description>Some tenets of faith are worth abandoning.&amp;nbsp; Everybody is unique, but nobody is special.&amp;nbsp; Jews who still think they are special are setting themselves up for disaster after disaster.&amp;nbsp; Maybe it is time to actively repudiate the most obnoxious material in the Talmud.</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Some tenets of faith are worth abandoning.&nbsp; Everybody is unique, but nobody is special.&nbsp; Jews who still think they are special are setting themselves up for disaster after disaster.&nbsp; Maybe it is time to actively repudiate the most obnoxious material in the Talmud.
</p>]]></content:encoded>
    <dc:date>2009-11-08T;20:17:00-05:00</dc:date>
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    <item>
      <title>Comment by Gena Raivich</title>
      <link>g.raivich@ucl.ac.uk</link>
      <description>I think it is intellectually dishonest to ask the Orthodox to abandon major tenets of our faith. If some people don&#8217;t want to keep the commandments, they can always go to the Reform wing, whether it is conservative, reform, reconstruction or secular humanist. They may hate the lack of approbation from the other side, but it is their choice to make. The orthodox will always define themselves as those who keep the commandments given at Mt Sinai&#8230;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I think it is intellectually dishonest to ask the Orthodox to abandon major tenets of our faith. If some people don&#8217;t want to keep the commandments, they can always go to the Reform wing, whether it is conservative, reform, reconstruction or secular humanist. They may hate the lack of approbation from the other side, but it is their choice to make. The orthodox will always define themselves as those who keep the commandments given at Mt Sinai&#8230;
</p>]]></content:encoded>
    <dc:date>2009-11-08T;20:17:00-05:00</dc:date>
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