Is objection to intermarriage a form of bigotry?
The traditional objection to intermarriage is simply that it is one of the 613 Mitzvot (commandments) that a Jew cannot and may not marry a non-Jew. Of course one may and should look for reasons for this Mitzvah, but the bottom line is that Mitzvot are done because they were commanded by G-d. Is this bigotry? Perhaps. Yet such exclusiveness is common in religion — and not just Judaism. On the other hand, the dictionary definition of a bigot is “A person who is rigidly devoted to his own group, religion, race, or politics and is intolerant of those who differ.” Although Jews are devoted to their own group or religion, they are not intolerant of the other groups. Rather, the attitude is “live and let live”, and if one wants to become part of the Jewish community, one should join the community.
