What we are – I propose – is a family.
We are the biological or, in the case of converts, the spiritual children of the House of Israel.
We are connected to one another, whether or not we agree with one another, whether or not we even like one another.
We are not a perfect family, but we are a real family.
We are all proud when one of us does good and embarrassed when one of us does bad.
And, as much as we may argue among ourselves, we are always there to defend or assist one another.
–Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz