If that one comment is a bigoted comment, yes.
Like Cynthia, I'd like to know how opposing intermarriage isn't bigoted. Luis tried to explain it and he failed.
I may have failed to convince the two of you, I suppose.
We have already gone through this once, as I recall. But I like this subject, so let's go through it once more.
I just realized that there is a hypothetical scenario that might better illustrate the point.
Let's assume for argument's sake that a Jewish person falls in love with a non-Jewish person and they decide to marry. Let's further assume that they agree to apply for full communion into the Jewish People, which is to say, the non-Jewish person decides to attempt conversion to Judaism - and yes, that does in practice mean leaving behind their former religion, if any.
That, to the best of my enthusiastic but doubtlessly external and tentative knowledge, means above all
learning about Jewish history, tradition and ways. Jewish unity, I have come to conclude, is actually not very tied to unity of belief at all, but rather to
knowledge.
Jewish People can hardly be expected to hold the same beliefs - and if you don't agree, go take a look at the Judaism DIR for a while then come back to me - but they
do show a remarkable level of mutual
understanding. They use much the same (somewhat exclusive) language and they can actually disagree with each other as opposed to simply failing to understand each other.
Conversion, I'm personally convinced, is above all a matter of showing solid evidence that one is well aware of the Jewish ways and willing to take part on them, to the point of convincing others that you are worth of being taken into the family. And I do mean family, with no quotation marks, for I truly believe that is what they mean. To the best of my understanding, it is conversion itself, and not even the marriage, that makes one a member of the Jewish family.
What is most interesting is that conversion is indeed a commitment for life, which is why it must be optional for both sides. The convertee must want to become a Jewish person and show some degree of commitment and effort towards that goal, and the Jewish community, including but most certainly not limited to at least one Rabbi (not necessarily Orthodox or even Conservative) must also be willing to accept and support the intent to convert. In short, both sides must trust and accept each other.
That might well look like prejudice at first glance, but it is actually rather commited and inclusive. It is just realistic in allowing for the very real and human need to establish a relationship of trust, respect and commitment before permanent acceptance is promised.
Now, most revealing of all, that commitment is taken very seriously and is not opportunistic. That translates into Jewish people
remaining Jewish People even if they explicitly let go of Judaism to become Atheists, Christians, Buddhists, Muslims or whatever - within reasonable limits, I must assume. Someone who makes a point of saying out aloud that he does not want to be considered a member of the Jewish People will probably succeed in being accepted as such. But it is not automatic, and it is not a decision taken lightly. They are not pretending to care, but rather deciding to care about their own.
You may decide that you find that bigoted, but I sure do not aggree.
