February 1, 2007
Bibi, Judea Pearl, Muslims and the Dennis
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Rachel Kobrin"The Hood"
Intermarriage
Amy Klein's article on intermarrieds began on a sour note ("Jewish Parent + Chrisitan parent = Jewish Children," Jan. 19). She declares "the girls are Jewish" in reference to children with only a father who is Jewish. When you combine the Conservative and Orthodox movements, Ms. Klein should properly have commented that this attribution is only according to strict Reform Jewish law and repudiated by the majority of Jews.
She also chose to report on interfaith families with what appears to be positive statistics, while ignoring the negatives: While 60 percent of children of such families may be raised as Jews, she failed to report that according to past surveys, 95 percent of the children of intermarrieds ultimately marry outside the tribe.
With only one not-very-observant Jewish grandparent, no matter how you whitewash it, it is exceedingly unlikely that the grandchildren of intermarrieds will be actively Jewish. Which explains why many in the Jewish community have little interest or involvement with this demographic.
Gary Dalin
via e-mail
King in Hollywood
I am sitting in my home looking at a picture of the Rev. King and my husband [Dr. Irving Lichtenstein] from that party ("Dr. King in Hollywood," Jan. 12). I was not there; however, my dear husband conveyed his love and admiration for King throughout the years. The Lichtenstein family thanks you.
Lisa Lichtenstein
via e-mail
Single Stats
In your current commentary about the number of single women, you believed information printed in The New York Times ("Majority Rules," Jan. 26).
This sensational story is, however, a gross distortion: New Census Bureau figures actually report that 57 percent of all women over 18 are currently married. The numbers in The Times count females between 15 and 18 - many of them living at home, attending middle school or high school - as "single," thereby coming up with its meaningless number of 51 percent "without husbands."
This figure also misleadingly includes swelling numbers of elderly widows. In truth, more than two-thirds of all women above 18 are either married or widowed, and at older ages, the numbers get even more overwhelming - hardly an indication that marriage has collapsed.
Perhaps you will use more credible sources for your information in the future.
Ron Norman
Los Angeles
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