Religion: Barrier to Entry

Marriage and Judaism. The two go together like peas in a pod… if you’re Jewish, you marry someone Jewish. This is because intermarriage poses the greatest threat to the future of Jewish survival. And I’m sure many who affiliate with any religion can also relate.

Since I was a little girl, it has been implied that whoever I marry, will be Jewish. Without question, it’s the unspoken truth of the Jewish standard and my Jewish heritage.

Recently, I was asked if I still plan on marrying a Jew. And without hesitation, I quickly said “yes!” But now I have been thinking: What is so wrong with other religions that intermarriage has become such a threat?

Being born and raised in Los Angeles, I am tolerant of this issue. Though, I feel it on a microscopic scale.

However, people around the world experience harsh penalties of indulging in relationships with people of different religious affiliations. The discrimination I face for a relationship with someone of a different religion is trivial, while others suffer greatly from the discrimination they face.

As tolerant as I am to all of this – has the societal expectation and pressure of marrying someone Jewish made me less likely to engage in a conversation with someone of a different religion? Have I not been as open as I should be because of my religious identifier? How has my religion hindered my interactions?

Religion is both a physical and social marker of who we are today. We can physically associate ourselves to our religions in the ways we dress, from hairstyles to accessories. We can socially associate ourselves to our religion by allowing our thoughts to stem from our religious beliefs, and observing each day the same as a person of the same religion. Religion can be worn and seen, and at the same time can be hidden within us. But ultimately, it all comes down to those uniform set of values that separate us.

Religion is supposed to unite people, not divide people. The term translates to “to bind, to connect,” therefore the purpose of religion is to unify us and connect us with others. Religion does not cause separation between people; its people are the ones that do. However, Religion poses a threat to our growth because of its external and internal barrier. And, while every religion has a set of values and expectations of its people, it’s time for people to engage, share and learn from one another.

It is an injustice to humanity to NOT engage in interfaith conversations in a multicultural setting because these conversations are what foster a sense of community with the unfamiliar. While our religions shape our foundations, these conversations challenge us and substantially make a difference in our individual growth.

So, while I’ll probably still end up marrying a Jew, I can stand to say that I will not allow someone else’s religious affiliation to dictate my interactions.

By Eden Burkow