The Jewish Family and Jewish Continuity

Book excerpt: The Jewish family in America is by and large a reflection of the general American family. With the rise of divorce and the increasing preference for alternative life styles, the traditional Jewish family, like its American counterpart, is under increasing challenge. When the effects of intermarriage and a lower-than-average birth rate are added in, the continuity of the Jewish family and Jewish life is under even greater threat. The essays in this volume, by distinguished scholars and social-policy theorists, assess the situation and prescribe policy measures to minimize the adverse affects of these trends when necessary or possible. Among the questions addressed are adoption, divorce, abortion, feminism, and pornography. It is the hope of the editors and contributors alike that their work will not only aid in preserving the American Jewish family, but will have wider resonance as well.