There is considerable controversy over the Jewish demographic future. Some claim American Jewish fertility is sufficient for replacement of the parent generation if not for modest growth. Others believe that intermarriage will offset low fertility by opening the Jewish community to large numbers of Jews by choice. This essay, specially prepared for a 1986 American Jewish Committee Conference seek to provide realistic assessments of the demographic future of American Jewry. The authors emphasize the Jewish fertility in the U.S. has always lagged behind overall white American fertility; nor do they find any demographic gains through intermarriage.

A comprehensive comparative study of Jewish law on contemporary reproductive issues from a gender perspective

This volume presents a sociological overview of the American Jewish community in the 1980's.