athically to the desires and needs of Jewish laity. From the comments of many colleagues it is apparent that Reform and Reconstructionist rabbis are increasingly seeking creative ways to be affirming and supportive of couples at the time of their ceremony. This may also explain why more and more rabbis are now willing to officiate with non-Jewish clergy, in spite of strong rabbinic pressure to declare this kind of ceremony out of bounds.

1Because of the comparatively small number of RRA members and the possibility of sampling error, care should be taken in drawing inferences from these numbers both here and in the data that follow.

2The total number of respondents, as well as the total number for each category, differs from the sum of CCAR and RRA respondents because four respondents belong to both organizations.

Summary of Rabbinic Center for Research and Counseling 1995 Survey

December 29, 1995 Irwin H. Fishbein, Rabbi, D. Min.

This survey has a threefold purpose:  1) to determine the present position of the Reform and Reconstructionist rabbinate on officiating at intermarriages, 2) to compare data with previous Rabbinic Center surveys and 3) to update the list of rabbis who officiate at intermarriages.  A questionnaire with four levels of participation and non_participation in intermarriage ceremonies and eighteen conditions of officiating was sent by first class mail to 1794 rabbinic members of the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) and of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association (RRA).  Of this number, 1651 are members of the CCAR and 167 are members of the RRA.  Twenty-four rabbis belong to both organizations.

 

Of the 710 respondents, representing a 40% response rate, 334 or 47% officiate at intermarriages under specified conditions, 274 or 39% do not officiate but are willing to refer to rabbis who do, and 102 or 14% neither officiate nor refer.  A comparison of CCAR and RRA respondents indicates that CCAR members officiate more frequently (48% compared to 38%) but that, when  categories of officiation and referral are combined, 89% of RRA members refer compared with 86% of CCAR members (see Table 1).

 

TABLE 1

COMPARISON OF CCAR AND RRA RESPONDENTS 1995

POSITION

 CCAR 

RRA

CCAR/RRA TOTAL

 #

 %

 #

 %

 #

 %

OFFICIATE

318

 48

 24

  38

334

 47

REFER

245

 37

 32

  51

274

 39

DO NOT REFER

 96

 15

  7

  11

102

 14

TOTAL RESPONDENTS

659

100

 63

 100

710[1]

 100

 

Of the 334 rabbis who officiate, 231 or 69% were willing to have their names on the list of C.C.A.R. and R.R.A. Rabbis Who Officiate at Intermarriages, while 103 or 31% requested that their names not be on the list.  The list contained 220 rabbis in 1990, 202 in 1986, 178 in 1982, 159 in 1978, 119 in 1973, 78 in 1971 and 61 in 1969.  Since 1969 the number of rabbis on the list has more than quadrupled, while the number of Reform and Reconstructionist  rabbis has not quite doubled (see Table 2).

 

TABLE 2

RESPONDENTS WHO OFFICIATE AT INTERMARRIAGES 1982-1995

 

POSITION

1982

1986

1990

1995

1995

 1995

CCAR

CCAR

CCAR/RRA

CCAR

RRA

CCAR/RRA

  #

%

  #

%

 #

%

#

%

#

%

 #

%

LIST

 178

 61

 202

 73

 220

 62

221

69

17

71

231

 69

NON-LIST

 115

 39

  76

 27

 135

 38

97

31

7

29

103

 31

TOTAL OFFICIANTS

 293

100

 278

100

 355

100

318

100

24

100

3341

100


Of the 710 respondents, 334 or 47% officiate, compared to 44% in 1990 and 50% in 1986 and 1982; 274 or 39% refer, compared to 38% in 1990, 32% in 1986 and 31% in 1982; and 96 or 14% do not refer, compared to 18% in 1990 and 1986 and 19% in 1982.  The historical data show that a small but a steady increase in the percentage of rabbis who are willing to refer to other rabbis and a corresponding decrease in the percentage of rabbis who do not refer (see Table 3).

 

TABLE 3

COMPARISON OF CCAR AND RRA RESPONDENTS 1982-1995

 

POSITION

1982

1986

1990

1995

CCAR

CCAR

CCAR

RRA

CCAR/RRA

CCAR/RRA

#

%

#

%

#

%

#

%

#

%

#

%

OFFICIATE

293

50

278

50

335

46

23

34

355

44

334

47

REFER

180

31

174

32

265

36

34

52

302

38

274

39

DO NOT REFER

109

19

100

18

129

18

8

13

141

18

102

14

TOTAL RESPONDENTS

582

100

552

100

729

100

65

99

798

100

710

100

 

Compared to the 1990 survey, there has been a 4% decrease in respondents who participate with non_Jewish clergy and a very slight decrease of 1% in those who officiate in churches where Christian symbols are visible.  However, two categories have changed significantly.  C.C.A.R. respondents who require a commitment to establish a Jewish home and/or raise children as Jews have decreased from 64% in 1990 to 42% in the current survey and those who require the rabbi to be the only officiant have decreased from 62% to 43%.  The present survey indicates that, while the percentages in these two categories have declined for Reconstructionist rabbis, the decline has been much more gradual than for Reform rabbis.  Reconstructionist rabbis continue to maintain a more traditional stance than their Reform colleagues with respect to these two conditions (see Table 4).

 

TABLE 4

      CONDITIONS OF OFFICIATING 1982-1995

 

SELECTED CONDITIONS

1982

1986

1990

1995

CCAR

CCAR

CCAR

RRA

CCAR

 RRA

CCAR/RRA

%

%

%

%

#

%

#

%

#

%

Commitment to establish Jewish home and/or raise children as Jews

  68

  67

64

70

133

42

15

63

142

43

Rabbi to be only officiant

  62

  59

62

70

137

43

16

67

146

44

Participate with non-Jewish clergy

  38

  31

109

31

86

27

7

29

90

27

Officiate in a church or chapel where Christian symbols are visible

   6

   9

 31

 9

26

8

1

4

26

8

 

The data suggest that the number of rabbis who refer to other rabbis is increasing and that significantly fewer rabbis require, as a condition of officiating, that children be raised as Jews or that the rabbi be the only officiant.  This can be understood as the struggle of a more traditionally minded rabbinate to respond empathically to a more acculturated, less committed Jewish laity.  Because RRA members characteristically operate from a more traditional base, their officiating less frequently than CCAR members or requiring more frequently a commitment to Judaism as a condition of officiating is understandable.  What may be more difficult to understand is that Reconstructionist rabbis are more likely than Reform rabbis to seek out ways of  accommo-dating a couple by referral and, consequently, seem to have less difficulty in affirming the validity of those with whom they differ.  This may possibly be attributable to the philosophical legacy of Mordecai Kaplan, whose concept of Judaism as a civilization affirmed the validity of different ways of embracing Jewish tradition and whose search for an authentic American Judaism broke down traditional patterns of responding and opened up new areas for dialogue and reaching out.



[1]The total number of respondents, as well as the total number for each position, differs from the sum of CCAR and RRA respondents because the affiliation of three respondents is not known and fourteen respondents belong to both organizations.

 

 

 

Summary of Rabbinic Center for Research and Counseling 1990 Survey

December 30, 1990  Irwin H. Fishbein, Rabbi, D. Min.

The purpose of this survey is twofold:  1) to determine the present position of the Reform and Reconstructionist rabbinate on officiating at intermarriages and to compare data with previous Rabbinic Center surveys and 2) to update the list of rabbis who officiate at intermarriages.  A questionnaire with four levels of participation and non_participation in intermarriage ceremonies and 18 conditions of officiating was sent by first class mail to 1691 rabbinic members of the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) and of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association (RRA).  Of these, 1554 are members of the CCAR and 152 are members of the RRA.  Fifteen rabbis belong to both organizations.

 Of the 798 responses, representing a response rate of 47.2%, 355 or 44.5% officiate at intermarriages under specified conditions, 302 or 37.8% do not officiate but are willing to refer to rabbis who do, and 141 or 17.7% neither officiate nor refer.  A comparison of RRA and CCAR respondents indicates that RRA members officiate less frequently (34.3% compared to 46.0%) but that a larger percent of RRA respondents (52.2% compared to 36.4%) are willing to refer (see Table 1).

TABLE 1

 

       COMPARISON OF CCAR AND RRA RESPONDENTS 1990

POSITION

          CCAR

           RRA

         TOTAL

 

    #

    %

    #

    %

    #

    %

OFFICIATE

   335

  46.0

    23

  34.3

   355

  44.5

REFER

   265

  36.4

    35

  52.2

   302

  37.8

DO NOT REFER

   129

  17.7

     9

  13.4

   141

  17.7

TOTAL RESPONDENTS

   729

 100.1

    65

  99.9

   7981

 100.0


1 The total number of respondents, as well as the total number for each position, differs from the sum of CCAR and RRA respondents because the affiliation of seven respondents is not known and five respondents belong to both organizations.

Of the 355 rabbis who officiate, 220 or 62.0% (72.7% in 1986) were willing to have their names placed on the list of CCAR and RRA Rabbis Who Officiate at Intermarriages, while 135 or 38.0% (27.3% in 1986) requested that their names not be on the list.  The list contained 202 rabbis in 1986, 178 in 1982, 159 in 1978, 119 in 1973, 78 in 1971 and 61 in 1969.  Since 1969 the list has increased almost fourfold (see Table 2).

TABLE 2

 

      RESPONDENTS WHO OFFICIATE AT INTERMARRIAGES

 

   1982

   1986

   1990

   1990

    1990

POSITION

   CCAR

   CCAR

   CCAR

   RRA

   TOTAL

 

  #

   %

  #

   %

  #

   %

#

   %

 #

   %

LIST

 178

 60.8

 202

 72.7

 207

 61.8

16

 69.6

220

 62.0

NON-LIST

 115

 39.2

  76

 27.3

 128

 38.2

 7

 30.4

135

 38.0

TOTAL OFFICIANTS

 293

100.0

 278

100.0

 335

100.0

23

100.0

3551

100.0

 

 

1 The total number of respondents, as well as the total number for each position, differs from the sum of CCAR and RRA respondents because the affiliation of seven respondents is not known and five respondents belong to both organizations.

Since this is the first time that members of the RRA have been included in the survey, comparisons with previous surveys in Table #3 were made with CCAR respondents only.  Of the 729 responses from Reform rabbis, 335 or 46.0% officiate compared to 50.4% in 1986 and 50.3% in 1982; 265 or 36.4% refer compared to 31.5% in 1986 and 30.9% in 1982; and 129 or 17.7% do not refer compared to 18.1% in 1986 and 18.7% in 1982.  While the 1986 and 1982 surveys showed no significant categorical change, the current data point to a shift of a little under 5% from the officiating to the referring category, at the same time that the percent of rabbis who neither officiate nor refer has remained constant.

TABLE 3

 

       COMPARISON OF CCAR RESPONDENTS 1982-1990

 

        1982

        1986

        1990

POSITION

        CCAR

        CCAR

        CCAR

 

   #

    %

    #

    %

    #

    %

OFFICIATE

  293

  50.3

   278

  50.4

   335

  46.0

REFER

  180

  30.9

   174

  31.5

   265

  36.4

DO NOT REFER

  109

  18.7

   100

  18.1

   129

  17.7

TOTAL RESPONDENTS

  582

  99.9

   552

 100.0

   729

 100.1

Compared to the 1986 survey, CCAR respondents who participate with non_Jewish clergy have remained at 31% and those who officiate in churches where Christian symbols are visible at 9%.  Those who require the rabbi to be the only officiant with no participation by non_Jewish clergy have increased from 59% to 62%, while those who require a commitment to establish a Jewish home and/or raise children as Jews have decreased from 67% to 64%.  The present survey indicates that Reconstructionist rabbis are somewhat more traditional than their Reform colleagues in conditions of officiating and that none officiate in churches where Christian symbols are visible (see Table 4).

TABLE 4

 

      CONDITIONS OF OFFICIATING 1982-1990

 

1982

1986

   1990

   1990

    1990

SELECTED CONDITIONS

CCAR

CCAR

   CCAR

   RRA

  TOTAL

 

   %

   %

 #

 %

#

 %

 #

%

Commitment to establish Jewish home and/or raise children as Jews

  68

  67

216

64

16

70

232

65

Rabbi to be only officiant

  62

  59

207

62

16

70

219

62

Participate with non-Jewish clergy

  38

  31

103

31

 5

22

109

31

Officiate in a church or chapel where Christian symbols are visible

   6

   9

 31

 9

 0

 0

 31

 9

The present survey suggests that the trend toward an increasing percentage of rabbinic participation in intermarriage ceremonies from 1972 to 1982, which was on a holding pattern from 1982 to 1986, may now be reversing itself slightly.  While there has been a 4.4% decrease in the percent of CCAR rabbis officiating, there has been no significant change in the conditions under which an intermarriage will be performed.  One may speculate that the new data which reflect a significantly higher response rate, may present a more accurate measure of rabbinic practice and that previous surveys may have overestimated the percent of officiants.  One may also speculate that the decline in the percent of officiants, even though not confirmed by a more traditional stance in the conditions of officiating, reflects a slightly more conservative bent in the CCAR membership now, as compared to four years ago.  More definitive conclusions have to await a detailed analysis of the data, particularly with reference to year of ordination.