First things first, the Jewish line is passed on through the mother according to some branches of Judaism, so it would make perfect sense for a devout, Jewish mother to want only a devout Jewish girl for her son.
As a devout Christian, I am hoping my children will marry devout Christians, too.
Shiksa is Yiddish for non-jewish girl. Shegetz is the term, I believe, for a non-jewish man. Given the Jewish history of persecution by outside cultures, it is not surprising on an instinctual level that worried parents would eschew someone from outside their religion.
What a lot of people don’t understand is that being a Jew is not just a religion; language, culture, faith, social norms, modes of behavior, and an epic history are all part of their identity.
Finally, Conservative and Orthodox Jews are highly educated, scholars of religious text (particularly rabbis), and will not be moved from their path. Contemporary rabbis (Jinos), like faux catholic priests, are pretenders. The majority of Jewish people that I know are smart, hardworking, highly ethical people.
The wackos in Hollywood, like all other stripes of wackos in Hollywood, do not represent Judaism. Back when I worked for the National Council of Synagogue Youth arranging Shabbatons, almost every issue they were concerned with were things non-Jewish parents were concerned with: safety, cultural rot, attacks on religion.
Not surprising that Hollywood would bash Jews. Unless they are going over Holocaust material, most depictions of traditional Jews, like those of Conservative Christians, is negative.
Another garbage series I won’t watch.
I watched it and found it compatible with the issues it covered in my relationships. The rabbi was modern and clearly reform although I did not see this in the show. I know that reform families can be Jewish via the maternal or paternal route provided the children are rasied to be Jewish, so the older more orthodox rules for maternal lineage are not required at the reform level.
I have seen marriages where the mates were separate religions and stayed that was. I don’t think this is the best way to form a marriage and certainly not for a rabbi. So conversion needs to be discussed, which was a part of the show. I will not go on, because I don’t like to spoil any show.