If I were born Jewish, I might well have some apprehension about this “Luke Ford” chap.
If I born and raised an Orthodox Jew, if I had lived my life as an Orthodox Jew, I’d find Luke Ford very weird. Possibly I’d find him interesting, but just as likely I’d find him disturbing.
If I were frum from birth, I’d have some well-worn mental grooves and this Luke Ford blogger would challenge many of my comfortable ways of thinking and for that I’d be more likely to resent him than to respect him.
When I read Luke Ford’s story, it would be hard for me get my mind around him. I’d probably suspect he was a plant, that he was up to something devious, that it was an elaborate game, that he was deep under cover, that he was going to use his experiences to write a tell-all book that would make Jews look bad.
If I were frum from birth and I read Luke Ford’s blog, I’d be disoriented. There would be all sorts of thoughts that a Jew is not supposed to think. I would probably not like to read him expounding on his view that different groups have different interests that frequently clash and result in killing. I would prefer to believe that all anti-Jewish sentiments are because Jews are God’s Chosen People and therefore hatred of Jews is simply hatred of God.
If I were born Jewish, I’d have some ambivalence about converts in general. I’d wonder, what’s wrong with them? I’d want them to be humble and deferential before the real deal. Just because you can get through a conversion process, that does not mean you get to tell real Jews what to do. If I read Luke Ford, I’d probably get mad. Who the hell is this wacky weirdo to make Jews look bad. Who elected him to out Jews for wrongdoing?
I suspect that if I was born Jewish, I’d have little tolerance for converts and once I learned something bad about them, I’d be quick to dismiss them. Who needs the tsures?
If I were born Jewish and I read the Luke Ford blog, I’d get the vibe that this guy has one foot in and one foot out of being Jewish. I’d wonder how long he was going to last.
