The only Jews who say things such as "I’m a proud Jew" and "I feel strongly about my heritage" are Jews who don’t practice Judaism. Those who are observant are too busy for such prattle.
Prattle alert here:
I am a high holiday Jew. I had a bat mitzvah, a confirmation, and even stayed in religious school all the way through 12th grade. I was very active in my Synagogue in Los Angeles growing up. My community has always included many Jews, I feel strongly about my heritage, and being Jewish is a large part of my identity. That being said, I went to a Presbyterian elementary school and sat next to the Bishop at my high school’s water polo banquet one year. It never mattered and if anything, I’ve always been grateful for the opportunity to learn about different religions and embrace a multi-ethnic society.I have also always been a die hard anglophile, and consequently moved to England several years ago to get a MFA in Staging Shakespeare. For the last five years I’ve lived in London and work as a Theatre Manager in the West End. During this time I have been forced to really look at what being Jewish means to me, and embrace more of an inward Judaism. I’m still not religious, but many of the things I took for granted as a child, I now find were a product of the community I grew up in as opposed specifically to Judaism.
