Reading this chapter, I have come to think that this should have been one of our first readings. It uncovers gender roles in American Judaism, despite the non-Jewish origins of the women being interviewed and discussed. These women, though non-Jewish by birth, have become part of Jewish families, have become Jewish mothers, and therefore have taken on the role of the American Jewish woman. The reactions of their husbands’ families further reflect what the role of an American Jewish wife is understood to be. McGinity explores what it means to be a Jew as a husband of a convert or non-Jew, what it means to be a Jew as a woman not born Jewish, and what it means to be a Jew as a child of some form of interfaith marriage. By the title of the book this chapter comes from, Marrying Out: Jewish Men, Intermarriage, and Fatherhood, I am very curious what other topics are explored and feel like many may have been relevant to our class. I also feel like this chapter could be well put in conversation with the readings by Bear Bergman and Laurel Richardson that we read earlier in the semester but did not discuss extensively.
Writing and other content
