GIRL MEETS GOY
Francesca Segrè

“I’ve laid down the law. I will only date Jewish men. I’ve laid down the law, many, many times. I tell myself that if I date a Jewish man, we’ll share backgrounds, traditions, and beliefs, and, if we get married, we’ll do our duty—we’ll procreate. Giving birth to baby Ezra and baby Shulamit will help ensure the continuation of Judaism. To marry another Jew is fundamental to being a good Jew, and I want to be a good Jew. So then why is it so hard?

One soft look from almond-shaped eyes, or a tender whisper in Cuban accent, and bam! I’m an outlaw. At least I’m not the only offender. Half of American Jews intermarry. Which, I know, is exactly why it’s critical to couple with another Jew. So, I keep looking.

Looking is easy. Finding is tricky…”

Francesca Segrè is the author of Bride and Joy: Walking Mom Down the Aisle, a personal essay published in The Washington Post, that explores the role-reversal she experienced while acting as the mother of the bride to her own mother. MGM optioned the article for a movie in which Goldie Hawn is to play the mother. Segrè is completing her first novel based on her daughter of the bride experience. Segrè, who has been a TV reporter for 10 years, works for Reuters TV in New York. She was born and raised in Austin, Texas, and has her degree in Sociology from Brandeis University.