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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=087460315-26082007>RDE
writes..<BR>..The big money seems to be going in the direction of Kiruv for
non-Jews <BR>(with some kind of Jewish identity) with the hope of converting
them. A <BR>friend of mine told me that on three separate occasions he was sent
<BR>guests for Shabbos from a Russian Kiruv program here in Jerusalem and
<BR>found out that they were all non-Jews. When he complained, the program
<BR>simply stopped sending him guests.</SPAN></FONT></DIV><FONT face=Arial
size=2><SPAN class=087460315-26082007>
<DIV><BR>and then writes...<BR>..Similarly there has been a major effort to
actively pursue intermarried <BR>couples and using various techniques -
representative of the best American <BR>marketing techniques - convince the
non-Jewish spouse to convert.</DIV>
<DIV></SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=087460315-26082007><FONT
size=2> </DIV>
<DIV>
<P></FONT></SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=087460315-26082007>imho, you have mixed two very different issues
together</SPAN></FONT></P></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=087460315-26082007>the first case is
clearly controversial.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=087460315-26082007>R sternbuch's psak
is clear - and I think in line with the approach of the </SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=087460315-26082007>major Kiruv
organizations in NAmerica </SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=087460315-26082007>(although I am not
familiar with the L approach to this issue)</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=087460315-26082007></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=087460315-26082007>however the second
case spoken about (and not mentioned in <SPAN class=087460315-26082007>R
sternbuch's psak) is different.</SPAN></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=087460315-26082007><SPAN
class=087460315-26082007></SPAN></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=087460315-26082007><SPAN
class=087460315-26082007>in order to help the Jewish spouse of an intermarried
couple, the Kiruv worker typically has 2 approaches:</SPAN></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=087460315-26082007><SPAN
class=087460315-26082007>a) convince them to divorce their nonJ
spouse</SPAN></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=087460315-26082007><SPAN
class=087460315-26082007>b) education and possible conversion of the nonJ
spouse if they show true interest in </SPAN></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=087460315-26082007><SPAN
class=087460315-26082007>halachic Judaism, torah, etc</SPAN></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=087460315-26082007><SPAN
class=087460315-26082007></SPAN></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=087460315-26082007>I believe the latter
is the approach of the major Kiruv organizations in NAmerica towards
this second issue,</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=087460315-26082007>where interest
exists in the nonJ spouse to true torah judaism</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=087460315-26082007></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=087460315-26082007>I personally know of
many fine frum families with children </SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
size=2><SPAN class=087460315-26082007>active in torah and mitzvos
</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=087460315-26082007>and the Jewish
community where one half of the couple was originally nonJ </SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=087460315-26082007>and the latter
approach was taken.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=087460315-26082007></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=087460315-26082007>(and sometimes one
even finds that the converted spouse is the one who spurs their spouse and
family </SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=087460315-26082007>to greater
commitment to torah and mitzvos than the bornJ one</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=087460315-26082007>)</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=087460315-26082007></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=087460315-26082007>Mordechai
Cohen</SPAN></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>