Mixing Religion and Religion

Reform Jews Hope to Unmix Mixed Marriages

By MICHAEL LUO

Published: February 12, 2006

LARCHMONT, N.Y. — In this age of potpourri spirituality, Anique Olivier-Mason, 25, classifies herself generally as a Christian: she grew up Catholic and often attends a Presbyterian church near her home. But on a recent Friday night, she was attending Sabbath services at Larchmont Temple.

Mrs. Olivier-Mason's husband, Joshua, is Jewish, and the couple became members of the synagogue, in Westchester County, last summer, committing to immersing themselves in the 800-family congregation. On this night, she stood by gamely as her husband, 25, bobbed, swayed and sang in enthusiastic Hebrew with others in the temple.

With intermarriage so common, Reform synagogues like Larchmont Temple embrace interfaith couples. For the most part, concerted efforts to encourage non-Jewish spouses to convert have been frowned upon. Now, however, in what would be a major shift of outlook for Reform Judaism — the largest and most liberal of the three major streams of American Judaism, with some 1.5 million members — that may be changing.

[lots more in the article]

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BrooklynDodger(s) finds this so New York. The Dodger(s) were going to opine on Jewish rules about who is a jew and conversion and all that, but the idea was tiresome. So, here are some questions. Is Mrs. Olivier-Mason origininally Olivier (more likely), Mason, or did she marry Olivier-Mason and give up some other name and apparent ethnicity? Did a rabbi marry them? The article notes that Mrs. Olivier-Mason seems to have drifted from Catholic to Presbyterian, what's that all about? And what's up with Mrs. anyway, isn't that over? or, could you be Mrs. and use your maiden name?


[The joke is that a rabbi charges $5 if both in the couple are jewish, $10 if one is Jewish, and $25 if neither are Jewish. Another notes that many reform rabbis will do same sex weddings, but only if both are Jewish.]

The article ends:

At the end, the congregation closed with a lyrical, "Aaaa-meeennn." She looked to her husband: "Done, right?"

"Done," he said.

A sure sign the service went on to long, and frequently the Dodger(s) sentiment.