I believe that 95% of Orthodox Jews were born Orthodox (according to sociologist Steven Cohen). For all the talk about baalei teshuva (returnees), they’re a small proportion of the Orthodox.
If my 95% fact is correct, should not Orthodox Jews have great skepticism about the staying power of baalei teshuva and converts and be reluctant to marry them?
Leonard posts: “That’s a false application of statistics, with a horribly bigoted implication. How does anyone contend the staying power for an FFB (frum from birth) is any more than for a ba’al teshuva? Do you realize how many people have grown up and lived Orthodox that “drop out” in middle age and later? Ba’alei teshuva have made a commitment as great or more than other Orthodox Jews. The commandment to love the “Ger”, i.e. the stranger/outsider/convert in our midst, is the mitzvah which appears the most frequently in the Torah – and to discriminate against them on any basis, let alone on an unfounded fear (based on misguided statistical analysis), is a terrible averah borne of small-mindedness, elitism and bigotry.”
One rabbi tells me: “Not 95%. Around 70-75%.”
Historian Marc B. Shapiro tells me: “I don’t think there is any question that significant more people leave orthodoxy than become baalei teshuvah. However, I don’t know of many examples of baalei teshuvah or converts who marry and then reject Orthodoxy. There are plenty who do so if they don’t get married, but marriage is a very stabilizing force. So people should be very happy to marry baalei teshuvah and converts.”
One Orthodox rabbi tells me: “The statistics need to be split between heavy Orthodox centers and “out-of-town”. I believe the percentage of baalei teshuva out-of-town is much higher. Regardless, the key is the staying rate of converts and baalei teshuva after 3 years — how many remain Orthodox after settling into the community? In my experience it’s close to 100%. So I see no need for skepticism and every reason to welcome them into our families.”
A major rav tells me: “I think the figure is a little high, and it depends upon where. In Israel, the vast majority of Orthodox Jews were born orthodox, but in West LA, the percentage that were born into observant families is much less. All of Aish HaTorah and Bnai David were not born Frum. There is also a large group in Beth Jacob (about 20%) that were Baalei Teshuva a long time ago. But Century City has almost none. Chabad of course has many.
“The key to successful integration of both Baalei Teshuva and converts is a slow gradual process of acculturation and integration, but many people are not comfortable with people changing their lifestyle which leads to extreme rejection of converts and a lesser extent of Baale Teshuva.”
