Popular Washington, D.C. rabbi and psychotherapist Arthur Blecher believes that the American Jewish community is actually flourishing amidst fears of dying out. He shows us that intermarriage strengthens Judaism--a concept that many Jews continue to debate. In straightforward and engaging chapters, he provides a progressive and positive outline of how this religion has changed over the years, and why American Jewish culture must be embraced and discussed in depth in Jewish families. This is a fascinating exploration of the ways in which social and psychological forces created a new and quite different form of Judaism in America more than one hundred years ago.
Arthur Blecher grew up in Judaism's Conservative Movement. He studied at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and received his rabbinical ordination with honors from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in 1975.
He earned his doctorate in psychology from Wesley Theological Seminary in 1994 based on his original research into the mental health issues of interfaith couples.
He is the author of textbooks and journal articles in the fields of Judaism, intermarriage and psychology. Dr. Blecher has taught courses at universities in New York and in Washington, DC.
A nationally recognized authority on interfaith couples, he has been featured on national radio and television. Unlike most rabbis, Rabbi Blecher holds an optimistic and positive view of both intermarriage and Jewish survival. He is a popular lecturer in both psychology and in religion in the Washington metropolitan area.
Dr. Blecher has served as the rabbi of Beth Chai, an independent Jewish congregation in Washington, DC, since 1987. He maintains a private practice as a therapist and a forensic psychological evaluator. He is a member of the Washington Board of Rabbis and a Clinical Member of the American Mental Health Counselors Association.
