I knew a Jewish woman who was atheist but lit the candles every Friday night.
What she worshipped - devoutly -was being Jewish - being smart and liberal.
The child she hardly mentioned was the one who didn’t marry a Jew and didn’t have an advanced degree. The only oppressed people she didn’t champion were the Palestinians.
Devoutly, proudly Jewish. Religion had nothing to do with it.
“What she worshipped - devoutly -was being Jewish - being smart and liberal.”
Sounds right. I am forming the opinion that “being Jewish” is the core. This is foreign to Christians, for whom Jesus Christ is the foundation.