Interfaith trend: more Jews saying OK to Easter

Spring is a potent season with the potential to remind couples of their differences, according to Ed Case, CEO and publisher of the Web site InterfaithFamily.com, an online resource for interfaith families.

Recognizing the conflicts caused by the close timing of the two holidays, InterfaithFamily.com began surveying interfaith families six years ago.

“The reason we focus on [Passover and Easter] is because it’s an obvious area of conflict,” Case said. “And over the past six years, the survey results have remained consistent.”

Of visitors to InterfaithFamily.com’s Web site who participated in its most recent online poll and are raising exclusively Jewish children, nearly all were planning on either hosting or attending a seder.  However, about a third also were planning on hosting or attending an Easter dinner.

The nonprofit’s latest survey showed that more interfaith families raising their children Jewish are participating in secular Easter activities, and believe such participation does not compromise their children’s Jewish identity.

The only significant trend noted in this year’s survey, compared to last year’s, is a drop in the number of those reporting discomfort with Easter (down from 34 percent to 19 percent), according to Interfaithfamily.com.

Respect was a key value motivating participants to take part in Easter festivities, according to in the survey. Nearly two thirds of respondents pointed to respect for the non-Jewish partner or the non-Jewish partner’s extended family as primary reasons for their family’s participation in Easter celebrations.

“We continue to see normalization of interfaith couples raising Jewish children and participating in Easter,” Case said. “But these families by very large measure see their Easter celebrations as entirely secular in nature and not confusing to their children’s Jewish identity.”