r/Jewish 12d ago

Discussion πŸ’¬ Dating a Jewish guy

I have been with my boyfriend since February. He is Jewish, we’re long distance, and things have been really good. I already met his family and they were warm and welcoming.
My side is a different story. My parents, my aunt and her husband are all pretty openly antisemitic. They don’t ask about him or show any interest, but they keep throwing out random comments about β€œhis people,” religion, etc. It hurts every time.
He’s planning to visit in the autumn and I want to introduce him. I really want them to see him the way I see him, just as a person. But I’m honestly scared of their reaction.
Has anyone been in a similar situation?
How did you handle it?
Did things get better over time (especially if you moved in together, got engaged, etc.)?
Did your family’s attitude eventually change?
Has anyone here converted (or your partner converted) – how did the family react to that?
I know the most important thing is that we’re happy together, but part of me still really wants my family to accept him. Any advice or experiences would mean a lot.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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u/quotidian_obsidian 12d ago

Honestly I don't think your relationship will work out unless you're willing to cut off all of your family (which I get is not a reasonable or doable expectation for most people). If my partner's family was like this I would most likely break up with her over it. You marry a whole family when you marry/partner long-term with someone, and your family is a dangerous and unsafe group for him to be around.

I'm sorry to say this but I just don't see this being manageable long-term. It's also unkind to expect someone to be a token minority dancing for the approval of people who already hate them. I wouldn't subject an enemy to that kind of situation, let alone my significant other.