JSwipe poll: Jewish singles face ‘family disapproval’ if they marry non-Jews
While most respondents would marry someone who converted, only 47 percent would ask their partner to take that step if things got serious
More than half of Jewish singles polled by the popular dating app JSwipe said their families would disapprove if they married non-Jews.
JSwipe published yesterday a new study based on a poll of 4,000 Jewish singles across denominations, including in the US, Israel and the UK, conducted earlier this year.
54 percent of respondents said their families would “react negatively” if they married non-Jews.
Another 40 percent said their loved-ones would have a “neutral” reaction, while only 6 percent anticipated a positive reaction.
While most respondents said they would marry someone who converted for them, only 47 percent would ask their partner to take that step if things got serious.
One person said: “I would not dictate someone’s religious beliefs. It‘s a big and personal decision and no one should impose it to others.”
But another respondent said: “It’s important for me to marry Jewish and have someone who understands me and can build a family with me. I want my partner to be familiar with Jewish traditions and customs and find some level of meaning from them.”
An overwhelming majority want a Jewish wedding (81 percent), with 77 percent saying it is important to them that a rabbi officiate their wedding.
According to the study, romance is not dead, with 80 percent of Jewish singles polled saying they “believe in true love.”
An overwhelming majority (81 percent) said chivalry is not dead, and another 58 percent said they consider themselves “romantics” as opposed to “realists.”
The belief was spread evenly across both genders, with 59 percent of men describing themselves as “romantics” compared with 56 percent of women.
Kindness, a sense of humour and intelligence remain the most attractive traits in the community, with rudeness, smoking and drinking, and a lack of attraction the top deal-breakers.
David Yarus, founder of JSwipe, said: “The world is a different place than it was just 10-20 years ago. Our sense of connection to each other and the world around us, how we go about finding love, and the role of organized religion in our lives all look very different than our parents and grandparents generations
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