Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies

Points of Entry: Interfaith Families in Pittsburgh

Fern Chertok, Matthew A. Brookner, and Rachel Minkin

Points of Entry coverNovember 2019

Conducted for the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, this qualitative study describes the experiences and perspectives of members of the burgeoning population of interfaith couples in its catchment communities. The study focused on interfaith households including those that are and are not involved in home-based or communal Jewish life.

Twenty-nine couples (each couple included one Jewish partner and a partner from a different religious background) were interviewed. Eligible couples either did not have children or had no children older than age five.

Key Findings