Our religious leaders are not much to write home about—that’s fact number one. We want to date shiksas, eat shrimp and play the blues—that’s fact number two. The equation that suggests that because our religious leaders stink we started dating shiksas just doesn’t add up.
Finally, lest I come across as a Jew whose heart doesn’t bleed when he hears that a fellow Jew isn’t keeping the mitzvahs any longer, I can assure you that I care very much about every Jewish individual who is experiencing doubt and conflict about their faith. I just don’t think it’s anybody else’s business outside that person’s immediate circle of friends and family.
You don’t see the Forward interviewing Jews who had their boils or gallbladders removed. Not because the experience couldn’t possibly be emotionally captivating for the patients involved—but because it’s none of our business.