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Vol. LXVI No. 46 Omaha, Nabr
18 Tammui, 5749 Friday, July 21, 1989
New study finds strong connection between intermarriage and divorce >y Andrew Silow Carroll and Remarriage Among NEW YORK (JTA) - American Jews, 1982Marriages between Ameri- 1987," was co-authored by can Jews and non-Jews are Drs. Barry Kosmin, director twice as likely to end in di- of the Data Bank; Nava Lei^ vorce as marriages between er, a postdoctoral fellow Jews, according to the re- with the Data Bank; and sults of a far-reaching study Egon Mayer, professor of on intermarriage released sociology at CUNY and Brooklyn College. They exTuesday. Nevertheless, Jews who tracted their data from remarry after a divorce are demographic surveys conabout three times as likely ducted by local Jewish fedto intermarry as Jews mar- erations since 1982. If there is an overriding rying for the first time, the study says. As a result, say theme to the study, it is that the study's authors, the any idyllic vision of the staforces that are reshaping bility of the Jewish family is American Jewish family a thing of the past. According to the study, life—intermarriage, divorce and remarriage—are bound among American Jews who to increase over the coming are under the age of 40 and married at least once, 50 years. percent of the males and 38 The study, conducted by percent of the females are the North American Jewish currently either intermarData Bank of the Graduate ried, divorced or both. Center of the CitjUUniverthe more draaity of New YorkilVa^ffindinga ia that people amination of the manwKi * stSl have a noatalgic view of tories of neaiiy 6,500 Jewish the traditional Jewish famadulta from nine citiea ily," Mayor said in an interthroughout the United viaw. "But if you kMk at tlw State*. modern Jowa, thay an aa "Int«murriage, DivoiTe far from a traditional modd
as you can get." The intermarriage rate among all American Jews, according to the study, is 14 percent for first marriages and climbs to 40 percent for the second marriage. But when the study focuses only on the youngest generation of marriageable Jews, the intermarriage and divorce rates soar. Thirty-seven percent of the Jewish men who are under 40 are intermarried, five times as many as those over 60. And 24 percent of young Jewish women are intermar ried, 12 times as many as women over 60. These findings show not only that intermarriage is increasing, but also that significant differences in the intermarriage rates for Jewish men and women persist. "One implication of this growing gap,'' the researchers say, "is that there will continue to be a growing demographic pressure upon Jewish women to intermany. The researchers were moat surprised to learn that
intermarriages continue to be at a much higher risk of divorce than marriages between two Jews, in every age group. For first marriages, the rate of divorce for Jews marrying Jews is 17 percent, but among the intermarried it neariy doubles to 32 percent. "The thinking was that if intermarriage was on the increase, then Jewish famiUes were making peace with it and people were living with it much more comfortably," said Mayer, who is the author of "Love and Tradition: Marriage Between Christians and Jews." "We figured that it was no longer much of a source of family disruption as it was in the past," he said. ' 'The stuprise is that on the divorce front, not much has changed." Another surprise, said Mayer, was that divorced Jews who had been involved in intermarriages tend to many non-Jews agai^. "We knew that previous divorea doea lead to mote intermarriage," be Midi "The
intriguing thing is that tion appears to be quite given that fact that inter- small as compared to the marriage leads to a higher other variables" in predictdivorce rate, people are will- ing marriage inside or outing to go into a high-risk side the religion. marriage, if I can use that "Increasing the opportuterm." nities for socializing among Even among the "inmar- Jews at every age level, but rieds," however, divorce particularly in the young rates are high compared to adult or singles groups, is previous generations: The absolutely critical" to study says divorce rates preventing intermarriage, among Jews between the said Mayer. The study did ages of 40 and 59 who marry not attempt to treat differwithin the faith are double ences among the various ' that of those over 60. Jewish denominations. Some of the survey findThe North American Jewings supply, at least by implication, prescriptions for ish Data Bank was estabreversing these trends, lished by the Council of Jewwhich have long been ish Federations and the viewed negativdy in the Center for Jewish Studies of Jewish community. "Hsv- the Graduate School and ing more Jewish friends and University Center of being older appear to be the CUNY. Implications of its strongest predictors" for intermarriage study and Jews to marry Jews, accord- similar studies will be the subject ot a conference this ing to the study. In addition, the study fall at the CUNY Graduate notes that Jews with higher Center in Manhattan. incomes and a higher level Mayer called the study of education are somewhat and confe(«ttce "part of an more likely to marry Jews. ongoing commitment to However, write the authors. deal ariUi intarmarriaga in a "the effect of Jewish educte^nl^yatamatic way."
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MXack on protesters at Auschwitz draws protest from Jewisli groups
Nearsighted anyone? NEW YORK (JTA) - Nearsighted people may actually be smarter than those with aO-20 viakm, si^ Israeli reaearchers. Draw Mkdtaal BeUdn and Mordechai Roaner of 1\il Aviv University, e«amining daU from more than 157,000 young men who underimt the standard Israel Dofense Force physical aiaminationa, found a dear correlation betwaen nearaigfatedneas. IQ and y^ of schooling. According to the reaearchers, IsT percent of the Israeli population is nearsighted. BiTt in recruiU with an IQ baiow 80, only 7.9 percent wer^ nearsighted. And 27.1 percent of thoae with an IQ 128 or higher were, found to be nearaigfatad. The study alao found coRalationa between naaraightedneaa and level of oducatioB. Only 7.4 percent of men who had oomplatad kaa than eight yaara of school ware nearaightad. while of thooe with 12 ormora years 19.7 percent were myopic. BeUdn notes, though, that 'It is not dear which is the cause and which is the effect."
$200 million sought o suppress uprising
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JERUSALEM IJTA) Yitahak la«lga^admat^^g^o^ nr witJ> tb» Troaauiy ovat tSOO miUlon dafaaaa mdgat auHilainaiit km a^ya iM|Mrativ« to pqr far to tokava twaakadowiU naCMhtaatadviaadUaa
view to reaching an agreameat Michaal Bruno, govamor of the Baak ot lumU. tM the Cahinti that all miniatarial budgets wouki have to ba tiinuntd if it avantualty daddta OB an iaeraaaa far (MHMN. TVa akanativa^ to aaid. «M ipiraliag Inflatiaa. Bahia aifusd ttot thauBhigh coat of COD-
By AlUaoa Kaplaa NEW YORK (JTA)-An assault on seven American Jews demonstrating last Friday at the Carmelite convent at Auschwitz has shocked and daapty disturbed the Jewish community bare. Tbe danxnstrators, led by Rabbi Avraham Weisa oif the Riverdale section of the Bronx, ware drenched with water and then beaten by workers as thay were dragged off the grounds of the convent, which liaa on the parimatar of tbs aite of the Auachwitt death camp in Poland. Tba dtnonstratori had cUmbad over a fiMtoa and onto tto c«Bvant'a porch. In an aflort, tlMQr tola nfnrtera, to talk to tto auna, who tova ahlrkad international damaada to leave the prwnlaaa Aa to waa toing dragged off. Waiaa atoutad. "Naii PoifM. a^t-SMBitaa." at tto convant wortora. fin poiioa officara, a prfaat and atoot W ottora loetod aa wtttoia mtarvaniag aa tto Jawa wara IMaetod and Uckad kiy tto
ifcrnMtortMi.ac-
jriiii«ktto Waal Ba^ and Qau Sti^ ••ttolmall ViHca at • IkM «toa • I titaatia
:tonpartalr«aaPo~ off ttMir akaHMUk aa to tto Bt^i .^k_^i_ ^ -t**!- -xaetir^
A protest against tto attack has been filed at tto Poliah Embassy in the United Stetea by Kalman Soitanik. vice preaklent of tto World Jewish Congress and preaidant of tto Federation of Polish Jews. The incident was the latest in tto ongoing tottle over tto 5-year«ld Auschwitz convent, which many Jewa consider a deaecration of tto ^Mt where miltons of Jawa ware murdered. Ttot tottle has gotten more expkwive since F^. 22, tto daadUne by which CathoUc and Jewiah leadara had agreed tto convant wouU to tranafanad to a k>cation away from the Auaekariti grounds. HM convant is now k>catad in a building which storad tto deadly ^kioa B gaa tto Naiis uaad to kill Jaws. Inataad of being cloaad down, ttoeonvant is r^MrtatHy aadvgoiivianoby tto Warid Jawiak Ooatto fovaraaaat far tto kMU«a wktah tto 'avirioaaand ." WJC tato aetkai ttowoitora. Tto Aawrieaa Jowiak OaaMiflMaa oqpd li a alalaIkafilwaevkaeah
riad out tto violence to brought swiftly to justice." Tto sUtement was issued by Rabbi A. James Rudin, national director of interrehgious affaire for AJCommittee. Tto vehemence of tto Rudin's statement was noteworthy, since AJCommittee is generally regarded as taking a more conciliatory approach to tto convent issue than tto World Jewish Congress. AJCommittee generally oppoaaa tto confrantational tactics of activisU like Weiss and his followers. Rudin aaid tto "bnttal attack" on Wdaa and his com panions mada ttonaadfdr doaiDg of tto oonvaat «van morsurgant. Tto continuiag preaaaca of tto convent, to aaid, "has deeply injured CathoUfrJawiak ralationa" and aa long aa it ramaiaa, "the wouad will only Tto daiBOBatratora ooatiaaad ttokr aarfaa ol protaata Snadaiy. Aeeonliag to npQita fhaa F^ohad, Ava ol ttoa latonaad to tto ooav«Bt dottod ia ath|Md coavmtto faaca oat* tto aaav«at aix aaavaat'a
tkarafar Tto
Twesa Magiera, reportadly asked police to remove tto demonstrators, but no action was taken, and the protestors left on their own. Earlio' Sunday, tto seven who were attacked protested in tto main square of the dty of Krakow. The group handed a letter to Roman Catholic authorities calling for the resignation of Cardinal Francissek Madiaraki, tto Polish prinuta, if tto convant is not reaaoved. Weias, wto lead tto protaata, heads tto Hebrew Institute in of Riverdala. Most of hit fqllowera, including thoae wiio joined him at Auachwiti, are itudante.
JDC assists West Indies NEW YORK (JTA) Tto American Joint Diatribution Commit tea haa raiaad Ut,000 for tto i» hakiktatian ol study tola at ttoUaivaraityafttoWaat ladiaa ttot wwa diatrayad by HnnkwM Otttart laat Altka««k ttouai««raity " • I 111 fai danaaa in tto B•wa•tarB^tto kavabaaaapttattty tto uahranMy ada