Intermarriage – when Jews wed non-Jews – has been called a threat to the future survival of the Jewish nation. So what happened when there were reports that the Israeli prime minister’s son was dating a Norwegian non-Jew? The Norwegian daily Dagen reported that Ms Leikanger and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s son Yair are a couple, to which the office of Mr Netanyahu has responded – according to Israeli media – by insisting they are only college classmates. But the damage has already been done. Leikanger is not Jewish, a fact that has sparked outrage in Israel, a Jewish country which since its inception has fought to have its Jewish character recognised throughout the world. While Judaism is not a proselytising religion, Leikanger, like any non-Jew, does have the option of converting should she wish to become Jewish.

Intermarriage and assimilation are quintessential Jewish fears and have been called a…