Essays on Jewish Culture

JEWISH IDENTITY IN HISTORY AND MODERNITY2

1. The Sacrifice of Isaac by Rembrandt..2 2. Jewish Torah scroll..3 3. A Sephardic family celebrates the Passover4 4. Jews in the Middle Age..4 5. The origins of anti-Semitism..5 6. Abraham Geiger tries to change Judaism..5 7. Hirsch and Frankel oppose Judaism reformation..6 8. Jewishness and anti-Semitism7 9. Jews are always guilty7 10. Jews come back to their promised land8 III. DESCRIPTION OF THE EXHIBIT9

Works cited10

I. SECTION LABEL The exhibit Let my people go: Jewish identity in history and modernity is dedicated to a longsuffering way of Jews who have been struggling for their identity for centuries while living ...

The lyrics to the song ‘Hotel California’ were written by Don Felder, Don Henley and Glenn Frey in 1976 and released in 1977. The song depicts the American people’s notion of California, which associated the city with women, wealth, and fame. The city is not described as a home for anyone but a rather a place where people who had different destinations and identities often meet. However, on reaching the city, most of these people become trapped and cannot move on with their lives, nor do they find what they had come looking for in the city. The ...

Introduction

Sexual behavior and homosexuality are the sensitive issues among other issues in the world of religion. Every society has moral rules that regulate sexual behavior. However, the rules differ from society to society. At times, to its intents and purposes, the rules necessarily and sufficiently need some specific study and comparing for rational precision. At this event, the comparison of the sexual behavior of different societies with the religious beliefs displays some distinctive connection between the social structures and morals. Power argues that the monastic rules served to ensure the proper public performance of monks because it is the ...

It is well known that man is a social creature. In so doing, there are some aspects of culture that come in through his life. One of these aspects is religion. There are three main monotheistic religions in the world; Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Below is a discussion of these religions and the manner in which they interrelate with each other, with greater focus lying in the manner in which Christianity relates to the rest.

Contemporary Issues

Origin and Historical Account of Interactions

The term Christianity is derived from the Greek word Kristos, which is used by the Christians in Greek to translate ...

Introduction

Coming of age is a big deal to a lot of young men and women, it gives them something to look forward to when they get to that specific age. For some, it is going to their first strip club and for others, it is hunting trip as well as shooting their first deer that signifies their status as a man/adult. This coming of age ritual is called a Rites of Passage, it is a holy ceremonial activity that people in certain cultures and religions partake in to cement their adult status. Rites of Passage is a very serious and effervescent pastime that people in ...

The development of the Zionist movement created a powerful Jewish community in Palestine. Zionism describes a type of Jewish nationality. The people from this nationality believe that their survival, both physically and culturally is only possible if they return to their ancestral home. The ancestral home of Zionists is Israel. If they do not return to their homes then, they have scarce chances of surviving in the world. In the beginning, the group was more of a nationalist movement, seeking liberation so that they can go back to the ancestral home (Anita, 67). The movement began as a way of reminding Jews of ...

Jewish culture is a culture that binds the Jewish community. The Jewish community has been known for its ethnoreligious nature. The Jewish community is guided by Judaism religious beliefs (Gruber, 1996). Because of this, the Jewish community has a significant connection to religion than tribe. The Jewish culture has a historical background that relates to dressing, music, cuisine, arts, and religion. Jewish culture has a diverse cultural lifestyle that underlines its origin in relation to history. The Jewish culture consists of different foods that define its tradition. The Jewish cuisine brings out the social understanding of the Jewish culture. Foods from other ...

Anti-Semitism and the American Far is written by Left by Stephen H. Norwood. It is a systematic study reflecting over the American’s the role in combating and propagating anti-Semitism which is far forgotten. This book summarizes the communists as early as 1920 onwards and the Trotskyites. It also covers the New Left together with the allies who were black nationalists, the New Left’s present-day remnants. It analyzes the opposition which was shown to the Jewish culture by the far left’s and the occasional efforts which were employed to promote the same Jewish culture. It traces the far ...

Is Racism And Anti-Semitism Still A Problem In The United States?

Introduction Over the years, racism and anti-Semitism has been a significant negative society issue that is aimed to attack a particular race of tribe in regards to their cultural affiliations. Prior to the First World War, the issue of racism was still a sensitive issue as slavery depicted the cruelest act of racism. In an argument by Eliav, Miriam & Ziegler(2009) racism and anti-Semitism has been in existence since the first steps of humanity as the minority groups were discriminated against. The same sentiments on the practice have been carried forward to the modern century as many people still hold discriminative ...

Stuckrad describes astrology as “a discipline that reckons the meaning of celestial bodies (Stuckrad 4).” This means that through celestial bodies, astrologers can predict the future and provide reason in terms of what is happening in the present. The article notes that being an astrologist was deemed hereditary and through this mechanism, it has survived for many years. Astrologists used different planets and the moon to forecast the future (Struckrad 5). As a result, this has attracted a number of people including the priests and royalties into the belief of astrology as an important segment in the society. Prediction of the future ...

What led up to the Maccabean Revolt?

The Maccabees were a Jewish family that led a rebellion against Greece and the influences of Hellenism. It all started when there were efforts to eliminate Judaism and solidify Greek culture in the Palestinian regions. Seleucid soldiers were sent to enforce anti-Jewish edicts around Jerusalem. In the middle of all of this, they met resistance from one local Jewish leader, Matthias, a priest who had five sons (Feldman 371). Jerusalem, during this time, was in trouble. Hellenistic rules were being forced upon everyone. Anyone who read the Torah was put to death, mothers who insisted that their sons be circumcised were ...

The Impact of Judaism in the 21st century

In the 21st century, there has been a continuous evolution of cultures, religions, innovations and traditions. In all these exchanges taking place in the new millennium, the Jewish communities have not been left out (McKay 236). They are acquiring a new 21st identity. Over the centuries, the definition of the identity of the Jewish communities has changed because of their encounters with different historical, intellectual, cultural and sociological changes and trends. Judaism and Jewish communities have been susceptible to the different changes that occur in the world. The 21st century has transformed the definition of Judaism and Jewish communities now have a ...

Isaac Beshavis Singer’s short story “Yentl the Yeshiva Boy” tells the tale of a young woman in 19th-century Poland who, in her desire to study the Torah, dresses up as a man and calls herself Anshel when she moves to a yeshiva. While there, Yentl wrestles both with her feelings for a fellow student, Avigdor, and the morally gray nature of what she is doing. Singer’s tale shows the complexities of gender politics in the typically-conservative Hasidic Jewish society, the nature of religion, and interesting questions of identity through Yentl’s journey. The evolution of Yentl as a character is very fascinating, ...

In the Jewish traditions, the Kings, Priests and Prophets were all very important in the community because they all had their roles that could not be traded with the roles of another. In other words, they were independent units which helped in making sure that the community remained united. According to Coogan (2008), the kings were “the leaders in the society.” They were responsible for making sure that law and order were maintained in the society. They acted as the symbol of the society, a pillar which showed that the society stood as one. Furthermore, they also acted as the ...

Jewish Passover Seder: Communication

Invitation to a Jewish Passover Seder poses numerous communication challenges due to the real and perceived differences in religious beliefs, cultures, rituals and other aspects of religious and cultural differences. In this regard, such invitation requires a substantial deal of planning in order to come up with a strategy to avoid the communication barriers that result from cultural differences. Preparing to attend a religious or cultural event for a different cultural group other than one’s own involves learning as much as possible about the other culture, and identifying the expected behavior when interacting with members of the other culture. As a Christian attending a ...

Introduction

The New Testament highlights the story of King Herod through the gospel of Matthew (Bromiley 1998, Vol. 2). In one remarkable event known as the Massacre of the Innocents, King Herod was placed in biblical history as the murderers of children. According to this story, Herod ordered the deaths of all the young males, aged two years old and below, in Bethlehem and nearby vicinities (Bromiley 1998, Vol. 2). This was after the Magi who inquired to King Herod about the Messiah or the Annointed One did not return to him. Herod was illustrated in this story as one ...

Abstract Aging is a complex process marked with distinct physical, emotional and social changes in the individual. The older individual must revise his lifestyle to accommodate the changes. The elderly person is often exposed to ageism and stereotypes and is expected to be dependent and helpless. Views on death differ at different developmental stages, as do cultural attitudes towards dying. Late adulthood is associated with a review of the individual’s life, evaluation and acceptance. This may result either in a feeling of integrity over accomplishments or despair over lack thereof.

Introduction

Aging can be defined as the process of maturing ...

Male love and desire for sex was a common erotic and affectional ground for males, a territory that was shared equally by men who did not have a desire for sex with female, and the rest of the male, who were having a desire for males, was a chance for them to get attracted. The traditions suggested that the excluded heterosexuality is just but a convection of latest vintage, based on the refusal of one’s own potential strength of homosexuality. There was some difference between present and past construction of men love and desire for homosexuality as it was highlighted by the Zeus and ...