At 39, Dumfries resident Evan Bolick has been named Beth El Hebrew Congregation Brotherhood’s youngest Man of the Year. Bolick is general counsel for the libertarian Cato Institute.
How did you become Man of the Year at the age of 39?
I’d like to think that it shows that people have appreciated my ability to work with people of all ages — respecting tradition while bringing some fresh perspective to the table. I also hope it encourages others in my age group to volunteer their time. Although I can very personally appreciate the stresses of raising young kids and navigating a career, it’s important to set aside time for your community and make sure your voice is represented at temple functions.
It seems like libertarianism and Judaism go together for you. If you want freedom from the government, you’d better hold yourself to high moral standards. Is that how you see it?
When you think particularly about how Judaism evolved, we are one of the few religions without a big central power that says here’s what we do. If you go to any synagogue, you’re going to find variations. Even within our sects, Orthodox is different from Reform. We have a set of codes, and then we all decide how to follow them.
Similarly, according to libertarian philosophy, we all have individual rights. It’s up to us to be the arbiters.
I guess God’s the one big person. But God’s not here arresting people who eat shrimp. Libertarians have always been at the forefront of a lot of issues that are dear to people on the left. Pro-choice, drug decriminalization, criminal justice reform. It all goes down to the idea of redemption. Individuals are free to make their choices, even bad choices. When they atone for bad choices, we want to do everything we can to reintegrate them into society.
I was at a dinner the other day with a lot of Christian people, and they were shocked when I told them there was no hell in Judaism. We don’t need an external person to hold us accountable for our sins. We hold ourselves accountable. That’s the point of Yom Kippur. We acknowledge them. And then we atone.
Where did your worldview come from?
My mom [Joanne Rhodes] is Jewish and big into the synagogue. My dad [Clint Bolick] is a fairly influential libertarian attorney. He’s now a [Supreme Court] judge in Arizona. Your parents really drive what you become.
I went all the way through Hebrew school. I was confirmed. I was in Hillel in college. I’d say that the Jewish value system came first. You’ve got that old joke: If you’ve got two Jewish people in the room, you’ll have three opinions. That idea that people can think freely and act freely. Judaism is a questioning religion. Judaism allows us to question the laws and edicts.
My parents were divorced and we were primarily raised by my mom. She’s the number one influence in my life. Without her making Judaism a really important thing, it probably wouldn’t have been as big of a thing in my life and in my children’s life.
My dad co-founded the Institute for Justice. Clients would contact them who were in some way being restricted from living their life by the government. They would take on the case for free with the goal of taking it to the highest court, to help not only their individual client but everybody else in these cases. My dad stood up for poor people who didn’t have a voice. It’s all very much leading by example.
Is that what you do for your own kids?
The general counsel is more the business attorney. I’m writing contracts. I’m protecting IP. I’m with the CEO deciding on the strategic direction of our company.
The Cato Institute is advocating for a lot of concepts like individual liberty, limited government. By supporting the company, I’m allowing them to pursue these other changes that benefit everybody.
In many ways, we’ve become a more libertarian nation in recent years. Marijuana is becoming legal. Sports betting is too. What would you say to critics who argue that this degrades our society?
There’s always room for some amount of regulation. I’m not an anarchist. Libertarian values are that you should be able to do what you want until it gets in the way of someone else’s freedom. Me smoking marijuana and getting in a car and hitting someone is limiting their freedom. There are always limits.
I think it’s always important to err on the side of liberty, and contour laws around that. ■
