NYU Press Still Jewish: A History of Women and Intermarriage in America

Over the last century, American Jews married outside their religion at increasing rates. By closely examining the intersection of intermarriage and gender across the twentieth century, Keren R. McGinity describes the lives of Jewish women who intermarried while placing their decisions in historical context. "Still Jewish" is a multigenerational study combining in-depth personal interviews and an astute analysis of how interfaith relationships and intermarriage were portrayed in the mass media, advice manuals, and religious community-generated literature."Still Jewish" dismantles assumptions that once a Jew intermarries, she becomes fully assimilated into the majority Christian population, religion, and culture. Rather than becoming 'lost' to the Jewish community, women who intermarried later in the century were more likely to raise their children with strong ties to Judaism than women who intermarried earlier in the century. Bringing perennially controversial questions of Jewish identity, continuity, and survival to the forefront of the discussion, "Still Jewish" addresses topics of great resonance in the modern Jewish community and beyond. Review aThis compelling, impeccably researched book should make a huge difference in how we understand the contentious issue of intermarriage in the Jewish community. By putting Jewish women into the center of the story, McGinity offers a fresh perspective that challenges standard interpretations. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of Jewish life in America as well as for all those concerned with present-day patterns, policies, and outreach programs.a --Joyce Antler, Samuel Lane Professor of American Jewish History and Culture at Brandeis University About the Author KEREN R. McGINITY is Visiting Assistant Professor in History at Brown University and will be the Mandell L. Berman Postdoctoral Fellow in Contemporary American Jewish Life affiliated with the Frankel Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Michigan beginning in the fall of 2008.