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From: R. Halevi
Subject: Registry concerns
Date: 16 Shevat 5781
Subject: What we are building
I want to be precise about my concern.
The format itself, I accept. A vocabulary for self-description harms no one. People have been describing their Jewish identities in unstructured ways forever. Structure adds clarity.
The service, I question. Not because services are bad, but because this particular service creates something new: a mechanism for institutions to require documented Jewish identity.
Today, if someone asks am I Jewish, I answer. They believe me or they do not. There is no check. No verification. No database to consult.
Tomorrow, if we build what we are discussing, the answer becomes show me your certificate. The certificate proves I submitted something. It does not prove I am Jewish, but it functions as if it did.
We are not building a registry of Jews. We are building infrastructure that enables others to require registry.
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