The results are in, and make for an interesting read. We wanted to share some of the high-level findings with you.

We focused our analysis specifically on CCAR and RRA members who responded so that we could compare results to the last known publicly available survey on officiation practices of clergy, which focused on that group. Of CCAR and RRA members who responded:

More than 85 percent said that they officiate at the weddings of interfaith couples. Of those who officiate:

• 59 percent require a commitment to establish a Jewish home and/or raise Jewish children as a condition of officiating
• 26 percent require a course of study in Judaism before the wedding
• 22 percent require the partner from a different or no faith tradition to not be committed to another faith
• 13 percent require the partners to be open to conversion

More recently ordained rabbis tend to officiate:

• 93 percent of rabbis ordained after 2010 officiate at interfaith weddings
• 85 percent of those ordained after 2000 officiate
• 83 percent before 2000 officiate
• 25 percent said that they co-officiate with clergy from other faiths
• Slightly more men (27 percent) than women (20 percent) co-officiate
• More rabbis ordained before 2000 co-officiate (27 percent) than those ordained after 2000 (23 percent) or 2010 (23 percent)
•  Another 20 percent said that they permit clergy from other faiths to offer prayers or readings that contain no theological references to religions other than Judaism.
• Two-thirds of rabbis who specify price say they charge $500 to $1000; another 25 percent said $1000 to $1500.

There is so much color to the study that came from the anecdotes and explanations to open-ended responses as well as additional detail regarding decision making around these important issues. Please contact us if you’d like the full report.