Will interfaith marriages save Judaism—or destroy it?

David Sklar, left, with his new husband John, on their wedding day. (Photo courtesy of David Sklar)

Mazel tov to David Sklar, co-host of our weekly current affairs podcast, Bonjour Chai. David just got married this week—to a non-Jewish man.

To celebrate their love, the Bonjour Chai team is dedicating this entire episode to the topic of interfaith marriage. We dive into both sides of the issue: those who support the expansion of Jewish life, and those who prefer to keep the boundaries of Judaism more strict.

To dive deep into the debate, we’re joined by two Reform rabbis whose personal beliefs fall on opposite sides of the issue: Rabbi Lily Kowalski of Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom in Montreal, and Rabbi Philip Bregman, rabbi emeritus at Temple Sholom in Vancouver. They tackle the big questions, including whether an interfaith wedding can be truly Jewish, how parents in interfaith relationships can instill Judaism in their children’s lives, and whether interfaith marriages might well spell the end of Judaism—or actually save us.

Credits

Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andre Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video.