New ad campaign targets Jews 'abducted' by intermarriage

Masa hopes the campaign will spur the public to commit to the cause of preventing marriage to non-Jews, which Jewish Agency officials believe is tantamount to a "strategic national threat."

According to figures compiled by the Jewish People Policy Planning Institute, over 50 percent of Jews in the Diaspora marry a non-Jewish partner.

Studies show that Jews who participate in extensive programs in Israel deepen their Jewish identity and strengthen their bond to the country. Most of them marry Jews and send their children to Jewish schools and become politically and socially active on behalf of Israel-related causes. Some of them even immigrate to Israel.

The head of the campaign, Motti Scharf, compared assimilation to the critical water shortage. "Even though this is an existential problem, the public in Israel is displaying apathy towards it because the process is slow and not dramatic, out of sight," he said. "The time has come to put the issue on the table."