Declaring Judaism would be extinct in four generations if the bars against intermarriage were removed, Dr. Maurice H. Harris, rabbi of Temple Israel, in his sermon Sunday, vigorously attacked marriage between Jew and Gentile unless the Gentile adopts the Jewish faith.
“People normally marry in the circles in which they move—the aristocracy, like the poor, within their classes,” he said. “For the same reason people marry within their specific religious cults.
“Jews have long lived aloof from the world by compulsion rather than choice. There was little temptation or opportunity to intermarry in the outside world. But after the era of emancipation came, with admission to citizen status in the Western World, Jews and Gentiles have freely intermingled. Some intermarriages have occurred in consequence. They seem to be growing. Why should they not grow? That depends on what the Jews stands for. Jewish law from Bible times down-ward has opposed marriage with the Gentile. This is not for any reason of race exclusiveness or national pride. There would be no justification of the law on such grounds. The objection is religious, wholly. We Jews must not intermarry with those of other creeds.”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
