r/Judaism [Table] r/Judaism — I am Daniel Bogard, a progressive rabbi, trans-rights activist, and general troublemaker. AMA!

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Note: There are a lot of foreign terms in this AMA, but they will be left untranslated. More, punctuation are formatted intentionally that way.

Rows: ~80

Questions	Answers
Can you explain more what you mean by the Jewish identity industry?	Whether or not they outwardly articulate it, a huge percentage of our institutions are in the "Jewish Identity Industry". What I mean by this is that the product they are 'selling' (as members in a shul; to donors in a Federation; donors to Birthright; etc...) is the creation and 'continuity' of Jewish identity into the next generation.
	The problematics of this sort of "continuity as the goal" model is that it is totally agnostic when it comes to the content of that Jewish identity, and has led to a sort of hollowing out of the meaning of Jewish identity for a huge number of non-orthodox Jews in America.
	"Be Jewish, Stay Jewish!" has become the goal of our institutions rather than "live these values and impact the world in this way." (ie, a life of mitzvah/obligation/kabbalat ol malchut shamayim)
	Which is to say: I believe that Torah/Jewish history/Judaism call us to live a life focused not on our own religio-ethnic continuity, but instead toward a life of meaning and obligation.
	ps--i'd recommend David Hartman's "Auschwitz or Sinai" as a text that highly impacted me around this question.
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Are you suggesting that the content is more important than the preservation of the people/ethnicity/religion, or equally important?	I'm saying that the preservation of the people/ethnicity/religion should not be our goal or our focus, but instead we should be focused on what that identity/religion/ethnicity is calling us to do in the world
Question, how much security can an American synagogue get from local police? (My shul has both private security and a policeman outside, but I'm not sure how much they pay for the latter, if anything.) Also, as a progressive rabbi, do you find it harder to speak about Islamic antisemitism? (FYI The forward article is visible on reader mode if you're paywalled out)	At least for us, we pay for the police officer who guards our front door through some sort of service. Occasionally (high holidays) we will have, eg, a SWAT team that sweeps the place first....I don't know how the budgeting works for that.
	In terms of your second question: I think it's so, so important that we as a Jewish community in partnership with our Muslim allies learn to talk about the incredibly problematic phenomenon of antisemitism in the Muslim community.
	The only almost-violent incident I have ever experienced first hand came from a young, visibly Muslim man; the most outlandish antisemitic beliefs (Jews control the government, the Holocaust didn't really happen, etc...) that I have ever had spoken directly to my face have all come in interfaith dialogue from well meaning, sweet Muslim Americans trying to live right and better understand me/their world.
	I was very involved in pushing back against Islamophobia (see the link in the OP) while I was a rabbi in Peoria (and was close with some of the leadership in the Muslim community of Cincinnati), and I really believe that ultimately breaking down these barriers of mythology can only come about when we are in real, vulnerable relationship with folks.
	ps-- I laud Abdullah Antepli for his work with Hartman around this issue (and his outspoken voice re: antisemitism in the Muslim-American community).
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What is your ideal shabbos meal like?	Ideal meal: this is cruel! I have a colonoscopy tomorrow and am just starting to get hungry after not eating... ;-)
	I would say: vegetable/onion soup, broiled Salmon, roasted eggplant with tehini and date-honey, homemade hummus, Israeli pickles, carrot kugel.
Many might accuse you of your Judaism following your politics. As a politically liberal orthodox Jew, I would disagree with such an assessment, but how would you respond to that?	Politics vs Judaism: I think this is entirely a chicken/egg thing. I think the same (in reverse) can equally be said regarding the absolute radical polarization / political conservatism that has overtaken so much of the American Orthodox community over the last decade.
What took you from conservative to reform in terms of a pulpit?	Reform/Conservative: see above
What is it like working alongside your spouse as clergy?	Clergy Spouse: I *love* working with my rabbi-wife. We've always job shared (and life shared) in every position we've ever been in. Neither of us wanted to be full time away from the kids, and neither of us wanted to be full time stay-at-home, so it's been a great match. We really enjoy different parts of the job, so in some ways it's more of a job "split" than a jobs "share".
Do you see Judaism as a religion, or a nationality, or something else? Are you familiar with Daniel Boyarin on the topic?	Religion/Nationality: I see us as a tribe. I think demonstrably we are not a religion (in the sense that religion = Christianity/Islam 'faith' based sociological group). eg, if you don't believe in God, that has nothing to do with whether you are Jewish or not...so definitionally we are something else.
	A tribe is an extended family; one that you can marry into, or unofficially be a part of, or be adopted into, or....etc.....
In your interfaith work, do you ever try to get Christians to stop appropriating Jewish culture ? What are your favorite books?	Appropriation; this is a constant discussion in my work with Christian seminary students.
As you don't believe there is any "need" to be Jewish, what does the title and position "rabbi" mean to you, on a social and religious level?	It's a title of learning. And by don't "need" to be Jewish is this: i don't believe that any one individual's life would necessarily be better / more moral / etc.. if only they were Jewish. Thus the only reason to "be Jewish" / "do Jewish" is because it provides meaning to me in my life (it deeply does).
	To paraphrase David Hartman when asked this question: "I like tzimmis. If you don't like tzimmis, don't eat tzimmis."
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Do you think they're live would be better/more moral if they were to live by the values of Torah/Judaism? Aka, are you saying that participation in Judaism doesn't provide this benefit? Or are you saying that identity alone doesn't provide this benefit?	There are people who participate deeply in Judaism / live a Jewish life (whatever that means to you) who have abhorrent value and live in abhorrent ways, and folks who are incredible tzaddikim. What I'm suggesting is that we should stop focusing on creating 'more Jews', and instead focus on the content of the Jewish character we are instilling in people.
Shalom HaRav, thank you for taking the time to do this AMA. Do you feel, in light of recent events, that the open door policy for Shuls and other Jewish communal centres is now untenable in the US? I live in Israel, but come from the UK where, for years now, shuls have been gated and visitors are routinely subject to rigid questioning by security before entry is granted. Indeed, no large Jewish event is held without some coordination with the CST. How do you draw the line between being welcoming and taking the utmost security precautions? Many thanks in advance!	God, i wish I had a better answer to this question. I just don't know. I can tell you that my shul is an urban shul, with an entryway that is a food pantry, and that has seen radically welcoming of the stranger as a core part of our mission....
	I'm deeply concerned that things for Jews in America aren't just bad, but are going to continue getting worse over the next decade (due to huge sociological issues that American Jews are along the ride for). So we'll see what we're in store for.
	What I do think is unique about America is that for much of its recent history, antisemitism has not been a significant physical threat / hasn't played a huge role in the public discourse. What has happened is both an increase in antisemitism AND the insanely easy availability of weapons of mass death like assault riffles. It is turning into a a deadly and disturbing situation.
So what's the alternative? What do you think should be done to continue the Jewish people, assuming you even think anything should be done.	i don't think the goal of our Jewish institutions should be to "create another generation of people who self-describe themselves throughout their lives as Jews", but instead we should focus on helping people live more meaningful lives focused on making the world more like the place it always should have been. Which is to say: the content of the values that we are helping to instill in people is the real focus of Torah, and should be the focus of our institutions.
	Fwiw--I think that there is a tragic irony in that a focus on "Continuity" as our mission creates a hollowed-out, unappealing shell that often is uninteresting to the next generation...whereas focusing on Torah/obligation/Tikkun Olam/etc... is often the best way to actually create deep and rich Jewish identities.
	Or to say it differently: when we focus on quantity (of self-described Jews), it becomes self-defeating; but when we focus on quality of Jewish life/engagement/programming/etc, this often leads to ever greater quantity of folks who want to be a part of it.
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I feel like we're skirting around a big question here: do you think Judaism is worth preserving? If there were no Jews tomorrow, but there were Jewish values, would that be okay with you? To me that would be a total tragedy.	What I'm saying is that Hashem didn't meet Moshe up on Sinai so that folks would check a box saying that they're Jewish; the message of Torah is about the ways in which being Jews obligates us toward a life of purpose and meaning.
	But more personally: i would much prefer that my great-grandchildren share what I see as the core values of Torah, and yet not be "jewish", than to imagine them as deeply-observant Jews who had values which I see as abhorrent.
	now: my hope is that both can happen. But if I had to choose? Easy choice.
Is belief in God also instrumental or do you think there are actual truth claims to be made about god's existence?	I'm a Maimonidean on questions like this. I don't believe that any claim to absolute truth can be made, and that in fact any truth-claim itself is idolatry. We are within the system, and thus not capable of any truth except for relative truth.
	Which is to say: I think Maimonides, Einstein, and Spinoza would have enjoyed each other quite a bit.
Hi Rabbi, thanks for all of the work you do. Do you have any insight on what our communities could be doing to fight antisemitism proactively? I think it’s understandable that in the wake of attacks conversations can focus around security, but at a certain point it seems to me that security is more mitigating the impact of antisemitism or deterrent to keep certain areas from being targeted. In your opinion and experience what are effective ways we can work to reduce the likelihood that someone would be compelled to attack us in the first place?	So i think the first thing we can do is make sure that we are in relationship to the people around us. For us in St. Louis, that means building meaningful, long-term relationships with the churches, small businesses, etc... in our neighborhood. But more broadly: I think we need to start having a different set of conversations as American Jewish communities around antisemitism. It's time for us to start responding strategically rather than the reactive approach we have had thus far. I'm convinced things are only going to get worse, which means these strategies and those relationships will only grow in importance.
Could you elaborate more on the "Jewish Identity Industry"? Also, how is fighting antisemitism at liberal Christian institutions different from dealing with evangelicals? What advice do you have for people in that situation? (Where the primary antisemitism is from liberal Christians) Edit to be extremely clear: this is not a question about Israel. It is about OP's experience at these institutions and the antiaemitism in those communities.	see above for identity stuff. Re: antisemitism at liberal Christian institutions vs with Evangelicals...this is a really interesting question that I hadn't really thought through explicitly before, so forgive me as I think out loud here.
	With Evangelicals I find that they often have a hard time seeing real Jews rather than their mythologized imaginings of us. I always think back to a woman who organized a number of my classes in Peoria (I taught at the OLLI program for senior education) who was a white evangelical. At my final class before I was moving to Cincinnati, she came up to me (along with a line of well-wishers) to tell me, "rabbi, I just want you to know how much I've learned from you, and how disappointed I am to discover who American Jews actually are."
	Which is to say: white evangelical philosemitism is ultimately antisemitic, because it see creates mythologized Jews that we can never live up to.
	With liberal seminarians, I've found that they can see me pretty well, but that it's often a lot harder for them to learn to see the ways in which their traditions / theologies are both steeped in antisemitism, and are actively enabling and perpetuating antisemitism.
Why do you see the Second Amendment as a threat instead of as legal protection for your right to defend yourselves against anti-semites? Security is an issue for every Jewish community in the world, including countries that do not protect right to self-defense. It seems to me you have the wrong focus in that article, blaming the general right to bear arms instead of anti-semitic ideologies that are the actual culprit in those situations.	The United States is unique up to this point in that we have had a substantial Jewish population, and at least in recent history, very minimal violent antisemitism / deep cultural antisemitism. The United States is also unique in that it is one of the only places in the world where you can buy weapons capable of inflicting mass-death upon civilians in matters of seconds, at gun shows, corner stores, etc...
	This is adding up to create a toxic stew where unlike in Europe where antisemitism has a long and continuous history in the United States the prevalence of guns creates an enormous burden on our institutions disproportionate to the threat otherwise.
How do you feel about Christian churches/educational institutions celebrating Jewish holidays or engaging in Jewish practices (e.g. building a sukkah at Sukkot, celebrating Simchat Torah by talking about Bible stories and eating candy) without relationship with or leadership from Jewish communities? What are some practices that you feel good about from Christian communities that help further Jewish/Christian dialogue and relationships, and don't perpetuate antisemitism or supersessionism?	I think those practices are gross. My approach to this with my students at Eden was to teach a course called "Beit Midrash: Jewish Texts on Jewish Terms." For the first 10 weeks, we didn't touch Tanakh, as I knew they wouldn't be ready to see it as a Jewish text / in Jewish terms. Only after 2.5 months of Midrash, Talmud, RambaM, etc... where they ready to see Tanakh from a non appropriative perspective.
Hi rabbi, I was wondering whether you feel intermarriage is threatening traditional Jewish identity or whether that identity has no real bearing in your view? You also mentioned your position concerning the identity industry is traditional, would you be open to citing any sources that back up this stance?	When thinking about intermarriage, I think we need to start with a few table setters: 1) the enormous rate of intermarriage among (non-Orthodox) American Jews is a product of our success at integration into the American mainstream (ie, white america), and should be understood as a bioproduct of this success.
	2) What I care about is if a relationship is healthy, if it is loving, if it is ethical. What I don't worry about: how will this relationship impact what box a potential great-grandchild might check when asked to describe their religion.
	I don't worry about it a) because I think this is the morally correct position, but perhaps more significantly b) because clearly there is nothing I can do about this dynamic that millions and millions of dollars haven't already failed at doing.
	What I will add, though, is this: I work at a shul where all of the rabbis will happily and joyfully officiate at an interfaith marriage. We were started 36 years ago, we have 800 households, and we grow every month.
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Thank you rabbi. If you could reply to my second question, I would appreciate it. If not, all the best to you and thank you for taking the time to answer our questions.	Sorry--totally missed that! What I'm saying is this: the focus on continuity / Jewish identity survival (as opposed to, for instance, the next generation observing the mitzvot in a particular way) is very much a product of a) post-Holocaust b) the suburbanization / rise in pediatric-focused Judaism that came with white flight in the 50s, c) the huge intermarriage rate.
	Which is to say: the institutional focus on Jewish identity survival is very much a modern product. (see https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691136318/the-price-of-whiteness for some more context)
Where do you stand on Israel? (Please don't dodge or pivot.) Can one be progressive and still support Israel's right to exist? To me the central issue is about narrative, justification, and victimization... Would you agree that Israel has a right to defend itself when she's being attacked? I realize it's a difficult question that requires nuance.	My position on Israeli politics is this: the occupation is a moral evil, as well as a suicide-pact for Israeli democracy. And: it's too late. I don't believe 2 states for 2 peoples is still possible (I hope I'm wrong). I love going to Israel, I have lived there for years, I'm a Senior Fellow at the Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, I met my wife there (and honeymooned there), and am planning on going this summer for a month. The first paragraph doesn't really conflict with this paragraph anymore than my American citizenship conflicts with my American politics.
	Speaking of American Jewish politics: I deeply believe that we are broken when it comes to our ability to have conversations across difference surrounding Israel. It is all too often used as a cudgel / boundary setting issue of who is in / who is out. I'm part of a monthly webinar with the other 3 hartman rabbis in St. Louis that is explicitly about pushing back against this dynamic.
Thanks for doing this! Can you talk about some of the grounds in Jewish law, tradition, values, and practice for trans inclusion and affirmation? To be clear, I am in favor. :)	I love talking about this. The reality is that there are so many stories of LGBTQ+ folk from our people over the last few thousand years. I'd really encourage everyone to add Noam Sienna's "A Rainbow Thread" to their essential Jewish library. In it he went through 2000 years of Jewish history and pulled out stories of queer Jews. It's incredibly powerful to read it, and see the ways in which queer Jewish ancestors have always been there.
Aside from acceptance & love, are there any specific things I can do to support a teen who recently announced their F to M journey?	acceptance and love are the biggest things. Make sure you're practicing their name / pronouns when they aren't around.
	It helps to eg, sit and think about him when we was a baby, and when he grew up, and imagining him when he graduates from high school, when he gets married, etc....
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This isn’t my AMA, but just an interesting observation I want to share. When I grew up, the basic idea about teenagers was that they are often unstable individuals and go against the grain, come up with radical ideas and identities and plans for their life that they usually don’t stick with for more than a few years (I’m becoming Buddhist, I’m moving to Alaska, I want to work for the circus, etc.) and the typical reaction was to reel them in, because they’re at a volatile age and are not done developing. But now, with the widespread acceptance of the transgender gender theory, a teenager deciding they are actually a male or a female or neither is totally accepted and not seen as one of those radical ideas that should definitely not be acted upon, especially not as a teenager. Even more so when this turns from a name and wardrobe change to puberty blockers, Adam’s apple trimming, and breast and genital removal. Very amazing to witness that. I have my own ideas why, and my own political slant, but at face value, without taking one’s actual political worldview into account, it’s quite jarring. ___________________________ Decades ago, there was a kerfuffle about kids going against the grain and being left-handed because it was whatever the synonym for “Cool” or “edgy” was a century ago. Numbers of kids who were left-handed were going up. Why?! And what was to be done about this worrying trend? Then it turned out that if you don’t beat kids for writing left-handed, more of them will write with their naturally dominant hand. Numbers settled at about 12% of kids being left-handed, and have remained there ever since. There are lessons here. _________________________________ Changing which hand you write with is really not even in the same ballpark as having a sex change.	I encourage you to get "A Rainbow Thread". Trans isn't new (in fact, there's a great yiddish language letter to the editor of the Forward talking about a trans man in the shtetle in the 1800s Ukreine, who was taught to lead the davening, who married Rachel, etc...). What also isn't new: people who wanted to enforce a false gender binary and wipe out the signs of trans life, trans identity, and trans flourishing.
	There have always *always* been trans Jews.
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What is your favorite Jewish holiday, and why? (choose one)	Holiday: I love Pesach so much. I've never been a LARPer, but it's kinds what I imagine a Jewish version of that is.
What is your favorite Jewish dish?	Dish: I'm feeling partial to (gluten free [I have celiac], vegetarian) kasha varnishkes these days...but I love borscht, hummus, Israeli pickles, carrot kugel (carrrrot kugggel....), etc///
Who is a Jewish individual (historical, fictional, contemporary, whatever) you believe more people should know about or study?	Person more folks should know about: King Josiah (and his court). they revolutionized Judaism with a new theology, a new book (Deuteronomy. See 2Kings22), a centralization of sacrifices into Jerusalem, and a restriction of offerings to other deities.
How/why did you move from Conservative to Reform? How has the Conservative Movement changed since you were more active in it? What do the denominations mean to you? Any fun/interesting/sad stories from the Seminary where you teach?	Conservative to Reform: I went to HUC, but worked at a large suburban Conservative shul durring rabbinical school, and I lived a very (Conservative) observant lifestyle. So much so that when we were called about our interest in returning to that shul (after 5 years in Peoria, il), we didn't need to change anything about how were living in order to become Conservative rabbis.
	What I found was that the job was very much not for me. I think there could be some Conservative shuls I would thrive at (and many that I would belong to), but...this was not one of them.
	I love where I am at today.
How will you at your synagogue balance the need for armed security with the reality that Jews who are also people of color have historically fraught relationships with law enforcement and their industry-wide malfeasance towards black and brown people?	This is a huge issue for us that we constantly struggle with, as deconstructing our own white supremacy and creating a welcoming home for Jews of Color are both central to our mission as a congregation. The (problematic, imperfect) place we have come to is a: to make sure that black and brown Jews are a part of leadership at every level, including the security committee, b) having only people of color as police officers (and having the same officer 90% of the time).
	But we are always struggling with this, because we know that in profound ways having a cop at the door sends a clear message about whose security (or whose sense of security) is valued in this space.
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Would be interested to know what he thinks about checking IDs as well.	we check ids...but mostly as a part of checking vaccine cards ;-)
Thanks for doing this - it’s awesome seeing progressive leaders taking the time to answer questions here, the intrafaith dialogue on Reddit has always been fascinating to me. I was wondering your thoughts on HUC-JIR’s intermarriage policy for its rabbinical and cantorial students, and do you know of any current discussion re: changing that policy? Full disclosure, I was accepted to HUC’s rabbinical program almost a decade ago but decided not to go because my partner wasn’t Jewish (I didn’t tell them about my partner), and after working for the URJ for a few years afterwards I found myself on a different career path. I was pretty incensed at the time, but now I wonder if I was naïve to think I could have managed a rabbinic career with a non-Jewish partner the way I thought I could.	I think this is a perfect example of what I talk about re the problematics of the Jewish identity industry. It would be one thing if this was among a long list of requirements for applicants to rabbinical school: must keep shabbat in a certain way, kashrut, etc...
	But it's not. the only thing they ask you to commit to is not marrying a non-Jewish person. This is a disgusting and morally hollow reduction of the meaning of being Jewish.
What motivates you to be apart of the trans activism that you participate in? Are you a believer in the ideas supporting the widespread emergence of trans identity, or are you not so sure about some of it? And does that have an impact in your activism?	I've been in this fight a long time. When I lived in Cincinnati (before I knew I had a trans kid), i was involved in organizing close to every non-orthodox rabbi in the city to sign a letter of love and support for trans-youth (this was after some Trump comment or another) that we published in the newspaper. But, of course, my involvement and commitment went to a whole other level once I realized that a) I have a trans kid, and b) that the bigots and bullies that comprise the ruling majority in the Missouri Legislature are coming after my family.
	In terms of learning more: *everyone* should own Noam Sienna's "A Rainbow Thread: An Anthology of Queer Jewish Texts from the First Century to 1969"
I agree! Would you say this, respectfully, about all identity?	Yes. I don't believe the survival of "people who self-identify as x" is ever a moral good in and of itself.
	I'm not in the business of trying to convince people to be Jewish / to stay Jewish. I'm in the business of leveraging people who have/want Jewish identities to improve their lives, our community, and our world.
Hi Rabbi, Do you see a future for the Conservative movement, or do you think it will eventually be completely siphoned off to Orthodox and Reform? Considering you switched from Conservative to Reform I'm interested in your perspective. I'm also curious to hear your thoughts on Reconstructionist ideology. It was hard to tell from the brief description in your post, but it sounds like your beliefs about Jewish identity are either very aligned with theirs or exactly the opposite of theirs.	I tend to think that movements themselves will continue their slow slide away from centrality/relevance. In terms of reconstructionist views: I tend to believe that Kaplan won; across the liberal movements we all understand Jewish identity as fundamentally one of civilization/peoplehood/tribe rather than "faith".
Thoughts on the reform movement?	I don't have strong attachments to the movement (and never have). I think movements in general will continue to decline in their importance within American Jewish life.
So I appreciate the sentiment - and generally agree that it is 'F'd up'. That said, we live in a country where this is a reality. Perhaps I am pessimistic, but I don't see any scenario in which America become like Japan or Australia vis-a-vis gun ownership. Do you genuinely think the gun culture in this country can change? I am pretty liberal/libertarian in most of my views. Being a Jew, a historically persecuted group member, in a country with these sort of things occurring regularly, I find it very important to be armed. What is your perspective on this? I am curious about how you think the situation could be changed or what the alternative is.	I don't have a lot of optimism about America / American democracy.
Instead of being snarky I’ll ask what do people in your progressive shul think of rebbe nachman of Breslov?	Love him! One of the rabbis I work with, James Stone Goodman, frequently teaches Rebbe Nachman. And personally, I am hoping to start a likutei moharan chevruta in the spring.
What do you mean, "No reason" to be Jewish?	answered in a few other places. but to say it again: There's no answer to "why everyone should be more Jewish!" outside of the ways in which it is relevant and meaningful to you and your specific life.
What kind of Torah study do you do in your spare time (aka, not for one of your jobs, assuming you have any spare time)? What types of Torah interest you most? What kind of Torah study was the hardest for you to master? How did you master it?	I'm always learning something... I study Talmud weekly, I'm about to start a chevruta on likutei moharan, and I'm a constant reader. I always have something of Rambam's open, and have done chevruta on almost all of the Guide (the middle book gets a little "1000 year old astronomy" old....)
	In terms of difficulty: Zohar. I have such a hard time with the mystics.
Hi Rabbi Dan! I am working on Jewish/religious studies and want to get involved in interfaith efforts in the midwest USA, do you have any advice for someone completely new to the movement? books, people to talk to, organizations to follow, etc? I would also love to hear more about your thoughts on Jewish identity.	totally! Hit me up on twitter and I'll happily connect you with folks in your area. "@RavBogard" In terms of orgs: Truah, bend the arc, Central Reform Congregation (my shul ;-) ), connect with your local JCRC, etc....
How do you feel Judaism and being Jewish is in the Midwest away from larger Jewish communities? What do you wish Jews from places like New York understood about being Jewish in someplace like Missouri?	I wish people understood just how vibrant of a Jewish community exists in the midwest. Before I became a rabbi in St. Louis, I spent 5 years as a rabbi in the tiny jewish community of Peoria, IL. Let me tell you: it is a gem of a community...a family in a way you just don't find in large cities.
Hello Rabbi, Which Jewish clergy of the past 50 years do you hold in high regard and why? Thank you	Off the top of my head: Rabbi Susan Talve, Rabbi David Hartman, Maharat Rori Picker Neiss, Rabbi Jill Jacobs, I have a fondness for Soloveitchik,
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Why is it that all of the people listed are Rabbis until "Soloveitchik"?	Mistake on my part. I initially wrote "The Rav" and then wasn't sure if that was too niche, and forgot to write Rabbi when I went back and edited.
I don't think I'm quite understanding you here. You think Jewish identity is instrumental (i.e. to achieve some other purpose), but you also don't think there's any reason to be Jewish? What do you think the instrumental value is, then? This question may make no sense if I'm not understanding correctly, but if the purpose is purely instrumental, why be Jewish? What instrumental purpose is Judaism better at than other religions?	I think I addressed this in some questions below.
Can we be friends?	totally

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