Testimonials
—MARI JO BUHLE, William J. Kenan Jr. University Professor (Emerita), American Civilization and History, Brown University
“Keren R. McGinity is the leading scholar of interfaith/interethnic relationships. She is a brilliant historian of women and gender and an engaging speaker.”
—SHULAMIT REINHARZ, Jacob Potofsky Professor of Sociology; Director, Hadassah-Brandeis Institute; Director, Women’s Studies Research Center, Brandeis University
“Keren McGinity is the most interesting writer and speaker on the topic of intermarriage today. Her success stems from the fact that she sees intermarriage in the U.S. between Jews and people from other faiths in the context of history, popular culture, social policy and just about every other framework. Her work on what intermarriage means to the man or the woman in the couple illuminates the meaning of these relationships in a whole new light.”
—DAVID SCHOEM, Faculty Director of the Michigan Community Scholars Program, University of Michigan
“I highly recommend Keren McGinity as a speaker. I had the honor of having her guest lecture to my University of Michigan undergraduate course on the Sociology of the American Jewish Community. My students were as engaged and impressed with her presentation and the subsequent discussion as I was, and several followed-up with her in the weeks after the talk to discuss both theoretical and personal issues about interfaith relationships.”
—BETHAMIE HOROWITZ, Research Professor, Education and Jewish Studies, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, New York University
“C. Wright Mills used the term ‘sociological imagination’ to describe the insight a person has who ‘understand[s] the larger historical scene in terms of its meaning for the inner life and external career of a variety of individuals.’ In this regard McGinity’s work reveals her own strong sociological imagination.”
—RABBI ROBERT LEVY, Temple Beth Emeth, Ann Arbor, MI
“Keren McGinity moves us from accepted myths and ‘theories’ about Jewish intermarried men to an analysis based on evidence and reality. Out of that comes an understanding of the ongoing importance of Judaism in the lives of these men. Keren’s work will help us turn from prejudice toward inclusion.”
—RABBI RALPH MECKLENBURGER, Congregation Beth El, Fort Worth, TX
“Passionate opinions from every imaginable perspective are the norm where interfaith relations and especially intermarriage are concerned. When Dr. Keren McGinity came to speak in Fort Worth she brought not only thoughtful scholarship to the topic, but her openness and concern. She listened as well as talked. Dr. McGinity is one of those rare people who generates more light than heat addressing the topic of intermarriage.”
—RABBI BRAHAM DAVID, Director of the Jewish Discovery Institute, Newton, MA
“Professor McGinity spoke with both academic depth and personal insight on the history of Jews and intermarriage in America. Her talk challenged assumptions and granted long overdue recognition of the remarkable dedication to Jewish life and learning of people who, like many of us, simply fell in love and married. Professor McGinity’s talk was received with nods of recognition and appreciation.”
Book Endorsements (See also Book Reviews)
“Still Jewish is a fascinating read for those interested in Jewish history or women’s history as well as for those concerned about the future of the Jewish community.”
“Still Jewish is an important addition and corrective to the currently available American discussion of intermarriage.”
“McGinity’s story has great poignancy. Still Jewish demonstrates how, from insular beginnings surrounded by anti-Semitism to a world of inevitable intermarriage, Jewish women with gentile partners negotiated a new way to be Jewish in America.”
“The strength of McGinity’s approach is that she attends to the multiple factors that influence intermarriage: Religion, race, class, gender, personal choices, and the coexistent social and political currents that have influenced each phase of American history.”
—JONATHAN D. SARNA, Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History, Brandeis University
“If you thought there was nothing new to say about Jews and intermarriage, think again. Keren McGinity’s well-researched study focuses on American Jewish women who intermarried during the twentieth century and demonstrates that many of them not only remained Jewish but, paradoxically, became more Jewish, perhaps in response to the challenge of having a non-Jewish spouse. An invaluable addition to the scant scholarly literature on intermarriage, this volume shows that in intermarriage, as in so much else, gender matters.”
—JOYCE ANTLER, Samuel Lane Professor of American Jewish History and Culture, Brandeis University
“This compelling, impeccably researched book should make a huge difference in how we understand the contentious issue of intermarriage in the Jewish community. By putting Jewish women into the center of the story, McGinity offers a fresh perspective that challenges standard interpretations. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of Jewish life in America as well as for all those concerned with present-day patterns, policies, and outreach programs.”
—DAVID SCHOEM, Faculty Director of the Michigan Community Scholars Program, University of Michigan
“Keren McGinity in Still Jewish provides thoughtful analysis, historical perspective, and careful research which hopefully will elevate the public discussion of interfaith marriage within the Jewish community. As a sensitive and astute historian and interviewer, Keren McGinity is able to uncover the deeper and more nuanced complexities of interfaith marriage that require close examination and study. This book should be required reading for pulpit rabbis, teachers, parents and Jewish community leaders who speak, teach, or write about the topic for public consumption and want to be fully informed on the latest research and analytical ways to think about interfaith marriage.”
(Advance Praise)
— DEBORAH DASH MOORE, Frederick G.L. Huetwell Professor of History and Director of the Frankel Center for Judaic Studies, University of Michigan
“Unexpected Partners makes a significant contribution to a growing scholarship on intermarriage in the United States. It’s attention to gender, its excellent chapter on non-Jewish wives, its engaging chapter on popular portrayals of intermarriage, and its insightful analysis of Jewish men’s narratives of their lives as lovers, husbands, and fathers promises to set a new standard for studies of intermarriage. Written in a lively style, it will speak to an audience beyond the academic community of scholars and students, though it should be attractive for undergraduate courses on American Jews. It engages communal debates on intermarriage as well as scholarly ones and sets forth an original and provocative thesis.”
—RABBI CHARLES SIMON, Executive Director, Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs of North America
“Keren has and continues to do cutting edge research that should shape the way Jewish community professionals work with men, women, and families. In my opinion the three most pressing issues in the North American Jewish community are: intermarriage, the diminishing role of Jewish Men in the volunteer community and Jewish life, and the need to help Jewish men understand fatherly influence. Keren’s forthcoming book, Unexpected Partners: Intermarriage and Jewish Fatherhood, promises to be essential reading.”