Some of this really resonates with me in my relationship to Judaism. I’m not a religious person but I do enjoy some of the aspects of having a community. But one of my major issues with really being a part of that community is that there is a distinct belief in cultural and ethnic superiority, especially among conservative and orthodox people (and I was raised in the former). There are historical reasons for that, of course. Embedded in the religion is a belief in being “chosen” by God. The Holocaust in particular but also millennia of persecution and ethnic cleansing has instilled a rightful fear of “purely Jewish people” becoming extinct, and being not just a religious group but an ethnic one. There’s still a huge taboo against interfaith marriage. Literally every time I go to synagogue or a Jewish event I am questioned about my marital status and someone tries to set me up with their son or convince me to go to some kind of matchmaking thing, which they insist on even more if I tell them that my partner is not Jewish. Interfaith marriage is STILL illegal in Israel, not to mention the blatant persecution and lesser status of non-Jews in the country. So while I enjoy celebrating holidays and feel a certain connection to other people who have had similar upbringings, I have major issues with the insularity and honestly, fundamental racism, that exists within not only the religion but also the culture. That had been a major reason that I have distanced myself.