Comments on: Challenged, and Disturbed

By: Matt

Matt — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 10:23:40 +0000

I think what Rabbi Schawrtz did was appalling. However, Dave is right. The Orthodox community is not that welcoming to interfaith couples and probably won’t be for he forseeable future. Don’t expect a red carpet welcome.

By: Dave

Dave — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 17:06:19 +0000

Why are the Jewish spouses of these Gentiles bringing them to an Orthodox group? Do they think they will be welcomed?

There’s a reason I don’t visit Mecca. Until you do you should be putting the blame where it really lies.

By: K

Sat, 16 Feb 2008 01:45:53 +0000

What he is doing, pure and simple is verbal abuse, constituting psychological violence, and its almost like he is seeking out the situations to heap it on these women. None of his ‘efforts’ outweigh the horrendous abusive actions he takes; he is in a place of spiritual leadership and guidance, and no matchmaking or outreach - to those he deems worthy - is more valuable than the spirit and esteem of these women he is crushing and rejecting, not to mention possibly sending running in the opposite direction, away from their religion. And not simply with a halachic response, but an abusive, spiteful, personal attack on the very core of these women and their parents and family? And the best explanation is, yes its unreasonable, but he’s traumatized from the Shoah, and hey, at least he is not embezzeling money? So pocketing some money is worse than crushing these women and their relationship with their religion? What he has done will stay with these women the rest of their lives, and quite possibly damage their religious identity for good. This type of abuse would not be acceptable for any teacher or counselor or community worker, no matter how much good they did with others; if he is emotionally traumatized and unstable in these situations, he has no business doing what he’s doing.

By: h.

h. — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 22:35:25 +0000

wow….shocking words from Rabbi Schwartz.

there are plenty of people who oppose intermarriage, but to say such things as what was mentioned in those emails is just beyond disturbing. and yes, it does border on bigotry (Schwartz refers to some of the women are Nazis), racism (in the case of Jamie Katz, whose mother was Japanese but converted to Judaism), and sexism (all the targets were women- Jewish or Gentile). Rabbi Schwartz is not the only outreach professional whose “sensitivity” about saving the Jewish people has been viewed as somewhat bigoted. i once went to hear Rebbitzin Esther Jungreis speak at her center in New York. she described those who intermarry as those who “give birth to dead children.” even though she wants to provide an antidote for the declining population, her words were poisonous and vile. everytime her name is mentioned, i cringe because i think back to what she said and it makes me sick that someone who cares so much for Jews would disregard a large portion of the population, many of whose partners are supportive of creating a Jewish homelife even if conversion is not in the immediate future or at all.

many Orthodox outreach professionals do begin with good intentions as they attempt to reach out to unaffiliated Jews. but then things get skewed when someone brings a non-Jewish partner to the events or mentions they are interdating, or that their partner is converting via a Reform or Conservative conversion. many also utilize their matchmaking abilities in the hopes that they can create more Jewish couples from their events. Rabbi Schwartz is said to have set up nearly 700 couples in his career. his efforts should be lauded, but his methods of interacting with the young women in those emails should by all means be criticized. if he’s not careful, they may even damage his reputation. people will stop going to his events, especially those who grew up interfaith or without religion and are exploring their Jewish roots for the first time as adults.

the only Orthodox outreach that does not discriminate is Chabad. sure, they disapprove of intermarriage. but it’s their mission to be welcoming to all and to retain those who Rabbi Schwartz and Esther Jungreis consider “evil.” it is Chabad that truly cares for Jews, while the aforementioned merely care about who these Jews marry.