October 4, 2000
To Argue
is Human, Learning to Resolve is Divine
Rabbinical
Council of America, NEFESH International and Orthodox Union Address Rise
in Jewish Divorce Rate Through Pre-Marital Training Program
For years, marital problems
were a taboo topic in the Orthodox Jewish community.
Divorce rates in the United States skyrocketed and yet the Jewish
community seemed to exist within a vacuum, the percentage of terminated
marriages remaining consistently low.
Unfortunately, this is no longer the case. With divorce on the
rise, the question facing the Jewish community is not just how to keep
couples together, but how to help them have happy, nurturing marriages.
In a monumental collaborative
initiative, leaders from the Rabbinical
Council of America (RCA), NEFESH
International (International Network of Orthodox Mental Health
Professional) and the Orthodox Union met
recently to begin the development of a ground-breaking curriculum for
young couples that will address many of the issues that can lead to
divorce or create difficulties in marriage.
The program, international in
scope, is primarily targeted toward young adults of post-high school age
and prospective brides and grooms with the hope of stabilizing the Jewish
family. Those who
attend will learn how to integrate the principles of Jewish law and the
psychological interpersonal skills necessary to build a successful
marriage. Led by both a rabbi and a trained mental health professional,
each course will address topics such as conflict resolution, strategies
for compromise, how to deal with in-laws, working through financial
problems and realistic roles and expectations.
Dr. Abe Worenklein, President
of Nefesh International, explained, “With divorce becoming increasingly
more common in our community we can no longer allow the issue to go
unaddressed. While prior to marriage many young couples learn Taharat
HaMishpacha – Laws of Family
Purity – little else is taught to prepare the couple for the many
challenges of daily life together. Couples need to learn marital skills
and have realistic expectations before
the marriage takes place, only then will they be prepared to cope
successfully with the inevitable ups and downs of marriage.” Rabbi
Kenneth Hain, president of the RCA, added, “The hope is that rabbis who
officiate at weddings will make this program a prerequisite for all young
couples. This program can have a positive influence on the stability of
the Jewish family. Our goal
is not just to make marriages last, but to help couples create happy
marriages.”
Mandell I. Ganchrow, M.D.,
President of the Orthodox Union explained, “As leaders in the Jewish
community, the RCA, Nefesh International and the Orthodox Union have a
responsibility to identify the issues that threaten our families and, by
extension, the greater community. The
goal of pre-marital training is to stem the tide of divorce by
strengthening and improving the interpersonal skills of new and future
couples. The Orthodox Union
is proud to be involved in this important new program.” In
addition to the pre-marital course, there are other courses being planned
for couples married 6-12 months and for couples married for more than
seven years. For more information, call the RCA
at 212-807-7888 or the OU at 212-613-8300.
With headquarters in New York
and Jerusalem, the Rabbinical Council of America is the world’s largest
body of Orthodox rabbis serving communities around the globe.
Nefesh
International is the organization of Orthodox Jewish
mental health professionals who provide leadership and education in the
field of personal, family and community mental health. Its members include
psychologists, social workers, psychiatrists, marriage and family
therapists and other mental health professionals. Affiliates include
rabbis, educators, attorneys and allied professionals.
The Orthodox
Union, now in its
second century of service to the Jewish community of America and beyond, is the world leader in youth
work, advocacy for the disabled,
synagogue services, adult
education and political action.
Its kosher supervision
label, the
 , is the world’s most
recognized kosher symbol and can be found on over 250,000 products in 68
countries around the globe.
###
www.ou.org
Comments?
Requests? Questions?
 Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations
of America
Department of Public Relations
Sharyn Perlman, Director
Main Office:
11 Broadway, New York, NY 10004
Phone: 212-613-8321 Fax: 212-564-9058
E-mail: media@ou.org |
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