Judaism is not only a religion, but a way of life. For this reason, many aspects of your life will be affected by being Jewish, practicing your religion, and staying in touch with your cultural roots. Dating, love, and romance are just a few of the aspects of your life that will quite possibly be affected.

If you are Jewish, it is no secret that you are expected to marry someone of your faith. Many people in the Jewish community feel very adamant about this and will react negatively at the mere suggestion that you would do otherwise. While you may know it is expected of you, you may not know why.

The primary purpose in marrying someone of your own faith is to preserve the customs and traditions of the religion within your family unit. If you marry someone of another faith, it is very unlikely that you will practice Judaism fully and partake in all of the traditions and customs. Therefore, your children will very likely not carry on those customs, basically ending the practice of the Judaism in your family. However, if you marry someone that is also Jewish, you are more likely to continue in the heritage and pass those traditions on to your children.

Sharing such core beliefs with your partner also ensures the success of your marriage. Marrying someone with such different beliefs will probably cause issues in the marriage if you attempt to follow your faith with stringent guidelines. It will be very difficult to maintain your faith and practices with someone that does not share them with you.

Some people argue that they will start dating only Jewish people when they are ready for marriage, but want to date non-Jews until that time. It is, of course, unlikely that someone would do so, especially if they find they have very strong feelings for someone that is not Jewish. Therefore, it is advised that Jews only date other Jews, to increase the likelihood they will marry someone of Jewish faith.

Of course, some will choose to date people of a different faith anyway. If you choose to do this, be prepared to face difficulties. Marriages between people of different faiths end in a 75% divorce rate. This is because people are not very compatible if they have fundamentally different beliefs.

Another fundamental characteristic of the Jewish community that has probably caused issues for you in the past and will more than likely do so in the future is the incredible amount of involvement of the family, namely parents, in your personal life. Jewish parents are very vocal about their opinions of your decisions, people you may choose to date, and long-term decisions you make. This may not be a major issue if you are young and have not had a serious relationship, but as you age and your relationships become more serious, this will very likely cause problems.

If you become involved in a relationship with someone that is Jewish, they are more likely to understand where you and your family are coming from. However, there can only be so many people leading your relationship before it crashes.

On the other hand, if you get in a relationship with someone that is not Jewish, they will most likely have serious issues with your family having such a hands-on approach to your life. Early in the relationship, this may not be much of an issue, but as it progresses, more will probably be vocalized. Non-Jews will more than likely not understand your reasoning for allowing your family to intrude and your family will quite possibly disapprove of your mate not wanting their advice. This could potentially lead to civil war.