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Originally posted by Peer:
I think that one must compare the atmospheres. The non-Jewish and Jewish communities in the USSR of then were not closely tied nor sociologically fraternal as in the US. Correct me if I'm wrong....

Actually, it really depended on which slice of the soviet life you looked at. The Communists attempted to build a classless (socially, nationally, educationally uniform) society, and in many directions they succeeded. In particular, in the academia, there was complete equality that no fraternity/sorority here can even dream of. It was meritocracy more than anything, and no communist party organizations could mess that up. When it came to continuing education (pursuing PhD and post-doc), getting a tenure or a job in the industry, etc., - that's when the national differences came into play. But until then - we were all equal, and those who knew more got more respect.

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A point to debate may also be the following: If one is really deeply rooted and emotionally involved in a relationship with someone not Jewish, it is going to be very difficult to sway him because logics aren't convincing over emotions. How do you all feel?

That's very true. In this sense, conversion may be a test of true love: will the non-Jewish half of the relationship be willing to accept Jewish traditions, history as his/her own?

Alex quoted:will the non-Jewish half of the relationship be willing to accept Jewish traditions, history as his/her own?
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We must though remember that one cannot convert out of marital intent even if he/she is willing to accept Jewish traditions. They must be accepted as a commitment to a lifestyle and belief, not as a marital condition.

We are kind of crossing into another thread, but just accepting Jewish traditions is only one-third of the deal. The other part is the history, and the third is to accept the contempt and potentially the hatred from the antisemitic elements of the non-Jewish community; and to accept the finality of becoming Jewish. Even if heaven forbid they later divorce, he/she still remains forever Jewish; so in a sense the decision to convert to Judaism of course is more serious and significant than the decision to marry somebody. It is a test of maturity of the feelings.