Arthur Hertzberg's Influence On Jewish Culture

The history of Jews in host cities often depict a story of success or of failure when it comes to relations between the Jews and the Christians in Europe. Historian Jonathan Elukin, author of Living Together, Living Apart, presents the integration as a success process with rare, and special cases, of failure. On the other side of the spectrum is historian Raymond P. Scheindlin. Scheindlin’s novel, A Short History of the Jewish People, presents many cases of integration between the Christians and Jews that led to massacres and brutal endings for the Jewish community. There are many monumental events that take place during the long span of time that oversees European Jewish history, and both historians study and evaluate the events, however, they do so through different lenses.

Since the creation of the television, people from all walks of life have been tuned into their favorite shows, news channels, and entertainment. Throughout the years, popular television shows have captured people’s attention ever since. A popular comedy sitcom show, Seinfeld, created by Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, depicts a group of friends who live in Manhattan, and through their characters shows the everyday life for the individuals. Seinfeld is still one of the very popular comedy sitcoms to come out during the ‘90’s. The reason that sets Seinfeld apart from other television shows is how Jerry Seinfeld included through the characters and episodes the Jewish American culture. Jerry Seinfeld, who is a Jewish American, wrote the show to include the Jewish aspect, which was the unheard of since The Goldbergs in the 1940’s. After all the success of the show, Jerry Seinfeld and the show Seinfeld, had faced early criticism from executives and writers. What Jerry Seinfeld did for the entertainment not only challenged barriers, but in fact changed television forever. Throughout this the essay, it will discuss the

“When I was a little girl my family moved to Tallahassee, Florida. We were the only Jewish family in the neighborhood. So as most kids do when they move to a new neighborhood, they tend to try and make new friends. I remember going over to one of my new friend’s house and her mother felt my scalp for horns” Julianne Jacques MCC-Penn Valley Counselor. Jewish Americans learn from a young age about the importance of knowing their history. Knowing the history is for the sake of the future of their past. Jewish Americans represent a group of people rather than a race or ethnicity, with strong family values and beliefs. They are simply claiming five thousand years of their history.

According to the broadest definition, there are approximately 9 million Jewish adults in America. Of those, 5.3 million are Jewish because they practice the Jewish religion or who have a Jewish parent and consider themselves Jewish. Non-hispanic blacks make up 2% of that population. (A Portrait of Jewish Americans) Blacks constitute such a small percentage of the Jewish population that they are often considered to be obviously “not Jewish”. This was the experience of Rabbi Shlomo ben Levy.In an article entitled, “Who are we? Where did we come from? How many of us are there?”, Rabbi Levy describes his feelings of marginalization triggered by an advertisement for Levy’s Jewish Rye. The advertisement features a black boy eating a sandwich and

Early modern Jewish history is filled with depth and knowledge that captivated and cultivated the religion into what it would become. An important part of the history were the ideologies and philosophies of Moses Mendelssohn. Considered the first modern Jewish philosopher and a shaper of Judaism, Mendelssohn was the start of what would become the Jewish Enlightenment. Being the first person to translate the Bible from Hebrew to German, he opened up the door for Jews to rediscover and enhance their knowledge. A writer and philosopher, several of Mendelssohn's writings were highly successful and considered a herald to a new way of thinking. While many of his writings received praise from people of different parts, critiques arose, including

In Germany in 1939, the German Nazis took down almost all of Europe, and on their way, 64.5 million people, including six million Jewish people. This war could have extinguished the Jewish culture. According to Holocaust Encyclopedia, this is some of the aftermath of the Holocaust (2).

In the Luis de Carvajal reading, the idea of what it means to be a Jew is explored. To provide some background, Luis de Carvajal (the Younger) was a crypto-Jew, or a secret Jew, who lived in New Spain during the time of the Inquisition. He was burned at the stake in December 1596, after being convicted of observing Jewish religious practices. The reading as a whole fundamentally delineates Luis’ desire to embrace his religion during a time in which people of the Jewish faith either had to either convert to Christianity or suffer persecution. Ultimately, Luis de Carvajal’s memoirs entail the concept that being a Jew involves the following: being loyal and devoted to the religion; carrying on Jewish traditions; feeling or developing a community with fellow Jews; and believing in one God and having a personal connection with Him.

Throughout the history of the world, the Jewish people have been persecuted and oppressed because of their religious beliefs and faith. Many groups of people have made Jews their scapegoat. Jews have suffered from years of intolerance because people have not understood what the religion really means. They do not understand where and why the religion began, nor the customs of it's people. For one to understand the great hardships, triumphs, and history of the Jewish people one must open-mindedly peruse a greater knowledge of the Jewish people and faith.

In conclusion Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. fought hard for what he believed in. after all he went through he was sure to spread his message even though it cost him his

When we speak of great american Jews the conversation would not be complete without including Joseph B. Soloveitchik. There have been a great number of people who have had a great contribution to American Jews but none in the way that “The Rav” has. From his upbringing in Eastern Europe to becoming the unchallenged leader in American Modern Orthodoxy, Rav Joseph Soloveitchik had a profound influence on thousands of American Jews that can be felt strongly still today.

The National Museum of American Jewish History officially opened its doors Friday, November 26th, 2010. According to their website, the NMAJH exists to recount the story of how the Jews who migrated to America from around the world became today’s Jewish Americans(CITED).

“In 1976 he became a Professer of Pediatrics t the University of Illinois where he enjoyed many years of educating college students and published over one hundred research paper in Polish and English” (Jewish Virtual Library, 2018). He soon retired in the 1980’s, after the movie, “A Private War” was made about him. Soon after the movie was published his wife passed away in 1996, and due to his failing health he moved to Oregon to be with his daughter with the remainder of his life. In 2006 Eugene finally passed away after his health continued to fail for three years. He passed away in Eugene, Oregon and, still, Jew and others still honor him from all over the

Theodor Herzl was a Jewish activist that was born May 2nd, 1860 IN Budapest. He was a creator behind the modern view of Zionism and the idea of the reformation of the Jewish homeland of Israel. Prior to becoming an activist for the Jewish homeland, he was a writer, playwright and journalist for the Neue Freie Presses in Paris (Green, 2015). During Herzl’s time as a journalist in Paris, he was able to view the anti-Semitism as a larger problem when he saw the persecution of Captain Alfred Dreyfus in 1894. Captain Dreyfus, was a French army officer that happened to be Jewish. The Dreyfus affair was the catalyst for Herzl. Alfred Dreyfus was falsely convicted for treason and passing artillery parts to the Germans during World War I. After

In Small town Texas, Jewish people were known for having a very influential impact not only for their Jewish communities, but also for the greater society. Most small towns in Texas that had a Jewish population had at least one figure that stands out thanks to their own personal success, but also for the success in being key members of their society while helping their respective cities thrive. I read about two of these influential Jewish personalities, the first one being Sam Perl from Brownsville, and the second being Benjamin Loewenstein from Rockdale. Each of them did different things to assert themselves as very successful members of their respective cities.

There are many different cultures that surround us everyday; each one with its own unique customs and lifestyles. The Jewish culture contains some of the oldest traditions and customs that date back thousands of years. This culture has survived everything from exile to almost being diminished during the Holocaust. The Jewish culture has a unique culture, that has much to share with the world around them.