Believers, Children of Believers
When a priest offered certificates of conversion that might save lives, the Rav told the Jews of Nitra that their faith was not theirs to give away.
As the situation of Slovak Jews worsened, the local priest let it be known that he would issue certificates of conversion to any Jew who wanted one, and that a person could keep his faith privately while holding the paper. The Rav called all the Jews of Nitra together and gave a passionate droshoh. He reminded them that no one can take away what is believed in the heart. They were, he said, ma'aminim bnei ma'aminim, believers who are the children of believers, and the Torah itself speaks of giving one's life with all one's soul. Would they now hand their souls over to the clergy? He urged that no one take the paper. The people answered him with one voice, reciting Shema Yisroel. His teaching was that faith is an inheritance carried from generation to generation, and that a Jew does not trade it for safety, however reasonable the offer sounds.
Source: Dei'ah veDibur, "Sparks of Glory" (HaRav Shmuel Dovid Ungar, zt'l, the Rov of Nitra), 3 Nissan 5773 (14 March 2013) (his droshoh to the Jews of Nitra; printed source for the exact words not traced)
Most of us are never offered a paper like that, but we are offered small bargains in which a little of our identity is traded for comfort or approval. Today, notice one such moment and ask what your parents and grandparents carried for you to be here. Then do one thing that honors it, whether saying Shema with attention, wearing your tzitzis proudly or speaking to a family member about where you come from.