[This person wrote this letter in response to an invitation to their sister Rebecca's wedding to the non-Jewish Mike.]

I was recently thinking about the fact that the only reason either of us is Jewish today is thanks to the courage and determination of our ancestors who, for 3700 years, withstood persecution, abuse, and threats of death so that one day they would have a Jewish great-great-great granddaughter named Rebecca. Your very existence is a testament to their sacrifices, to their devotion to the Torah, to their intense prayers that their descendants would stay loyal to Judaism.

You, Rebecca, are the fulfillment of all their dreams. A Jewish descendant! A Jewish descendant with a strong Jewish identity, no less! You, Rebecca, are the link in the chain between your ancestors and your descendants. You are the link in the chain between our family's past and our family's future.

According to statistics, if you marry mike, there is only a one in ten chance that your children will even identify as Jews. If you marry Mike, there is almost no chance that your grandchildren will be Jewish.

If you marry Mike, the dreams of thousands of our ancestors will die on your wedding day.

[...]

I love you. I admire and am very fond of Mike. But if you marry Mike, as difficult as it will be for me as well as for you, I will not be able to attend your wedding. I could not attend your wedding because, as Jews, what would happen on your wedding day would not be a happy event. It would be a tragedy of historic proportions.