Just Jewish

By Pierpaolo Punturello*

With a journalist friend, we found ourselves talking about Judaism and compromise, before a mutual friend and Teacher.

Over the course of our speeches, we found ourselves stating that after years of youthful definitions when we would highlight how we were, respectively a “secular Jew” and a “religious Jew”, now that we are almost 40, we just feel like “Jews”.

Maybe it is because of the newly reached maturity, maybe it is because of the world that gets more and more radicalized, maybe it is the sense of and identity of encounter.

Whatever it is, being “just Jews” and acknowledging it in an event devoted to the concept of compromise seemed to me a good sign for our Jewish world. A world that too often needs useless barriers, losing sight of Jewish utility and strength.

Just Jewish.

*Pierpaolo Punturello is a rabbi.