I have several questions for Marion Usher regarding her opinion piece, “How Interfaith Workshops Are Paying Off” (July 26).
Is the primary purpose of her workshop to allow intermarried couples to work out their religious conflicts or to foster Jewish identity? If it is to allow these couples to work out their conflicts, should this be outside the framework of the Jewish community, since any solution would be to diminish the Jewish identity of the Jewish spouse?
Secondly, if the purpose is to promote Jewish identity, should it be limited to the one-quarter to one-third of intermarried for whom the religious identity is primarily Jewish? To include the larger group of couples, which include both Jewish and Christian identity elements, waters down the meaning of being Jewish.
Thirdly, might the Jewish community be better served with a stronger effort to create core Jewish identity? Such programs are underfunded by the various federations, but create a far better result in the transmission of Jewish value.
Fairlawn, N.J.
