I think that being Jewish is in some ways unique because there's this conflation of race, culture and religion.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
There is something very very special, universal and easily identifiable among all Jews; it is beyond territory, it is something we all have in common.
As a matter of fact, part of being Jewish is the whole question of what it is to be a Jew.
I do strongly identify with being Jewish. I was raised Orthodox and had a childhood complicated by the fact that my father was deeply religious and my mother was not.
I grew up in the classic American-Jewish suburbia, which has a whole different sense of what it means to be Jewish than anywhere else in the world.
The funny thing is that I write and I act a lot about being Jewish, but I don't really think about it as a regular person.
I think the thing that I most appreciate now is that stereotypes involving Jewish identity activate fears of persecution that exist in the present day.
The Jewish people are very diverse, and I believe this rich tapestry of identities and experiences strengthens our community.
Judaism is interesting in that there is something there that I think you just can't understand if you're not a Jew - it moves into a realm of true mystery.
There is a diversity of thought and philosophy, diversity of languages and dialects, diversity of political spectrum, and there's a diversity of taste for food. I don't label or characterize Jews in any way.
Most Jews, like most rational persons, know that their personal identity and their ethnic identity are not one and the same.