Young, Jewish professional is an insulting, loaded term that the Jewish community needs to do away with.
Before PunkTorah became a non-profit, Jewish multimedia company and hub for independent Jewish spirituality, I often went on diatribes about young Jewish professionals. I mentioned how much I hate the term in PunkTorah’s latest book and probably the third most read article on PunkTorah is about the secret language of these strange beasts.
Problem is, I’ve become one.
Yes, I am a young, Jewish professional. I run a Jewish non-profit. I am becoming a rabbi. I am a lay spiritual leader at the world’s only online, independent chavurah. I find myself in-and-out of the young, Jewish professional “scene” and I have to admit, I am normally able to hold-my-own in a crowd, but these suit and tie, business card flashing, hair gel coma inducing events of romantic hookups and business deals give me panic attacks and warm thoughts about psychiatric drug commercials. I recall one event I went to at a college, where in the intensity of name tags, Jewish Geography and let’s-take-an-arial-photo-of-us-on-my-Smartphone-so-I-can-publish-it-to-the-young-Jewish-professionals-Facebook made me want to run to the bathroom and hold myself in the fetal position until it all blew over like some kind of Yiddish tornado swallowing up the town.
Obviously I have strong feelings about this. So I made a YouTube video about it. Enjoy.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ux5IocEMjZw