ller (2003) argues that ôWhen Christians marry Jews; the divorce rate more than doubles that of marriages between couples of the same faithö (15). Maller lists a host of issues that typically destabilize unions between Jews and Christians. These include what kind of wedding ceremony to hold, what kind of services to attend, and how to raise children in two-faith households. Bottom line, Maller (2003) argues that such unions should be heavily discouraged by early intervention from parents and religious and community leaders because ôJews see Christianity as undermining the identity and solidarity of the Jewish peopleö (15).
While the Catholic clergy and community also try to discourage intermarriage, Christians are much more open to sanctioning such unions than Jews when the situation arises. Unlike Rabbi MallerÆs belief that the twain shall never meet, Reverend Bernie Pietrzak, a Roman Catholic Priest, oversees the Jewish Catholic Couples Dialogue Group in Chicago. Unlike most Jewish clergy, PietrzakÆs organization is devoted to supporting the efforts and challenges of Jewish and Christian couples. The Group has worked with more than 500 couples in its 13-year history and PietrzakÆs philosophy on the issue is one that accepts the realities of modern society and encompasses common sense: ôYou canÆt choose who you love but you can
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