Jews Struggle With Identity

When looking at Judaism, one has to go far back to biblical times to fully understand its origins. It started with the Hebrew people in the country of Israel. The bloodline of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob is what constitutes people as being Jewish. Being classified as a Jew, or a Jewish citizen has more to do with family ties, then what you believe in. The standard for being considered Jewish is that you have to be born to a Jewish mother. Some sects of Judaism like to include being born to a Jewish father as part of being Jewish. It can be looked at as more of a nationality or an ethnicity than a

The Jewish community has had to overcome both physical and mental elements that tested their faith. They overcame adversity when their people where being killed multiple times in history. In the beginning when the Egyptians where killing the males babies to “reduce” their population because they felt the community was taking over. To the 1940’s when Germany or “HItler” was trying to kill off their whole community and or religion. These events helped lead up to how Judaism became its own belief system branched off of the jewish religion base. Once a base was created Judaism had their own branches which are: Orthodox, Reform and Conservative. These diverse selections give multiple selections and help maintain the Judaism faith. Having different

“Shir Tikvah is a kehillah kedosha (holy community) joyfully revealing the intersections of Talmud torah (lifelong Torah study), t 'filah (prayer), tzedakah (justice), and hachnasat orchim (radical hospitality)”. Shir Tikvah meaning “Song of Hope” is a Reform Jewish Temple located on Minnehaha Parkway in Minneapolis. The congregation was established in 1988 when Stacy Offner, first woman Rabbi in MN, resigned from Mount Zion Temple after a disagreement over her homosexuality. Her and a six supporters joined together as they shared a mutual vision of starting a synagogue with more of a liberal approach to Judaism. They desired to have a synagogue that was welcoming and personal: encouraging people with varies Jewish lifestyles to be active

In my experience emerging in a country where most people look and act a certain way, while I am the outlier thanks to my different looks and traditions, has made me a minority. Being born in Mexico City from a Jewish family that immigrated from Poland two generations ago, and then going to college in Texas, has made me feel the differences of being lets say, “different”.

When I was first introduced to the topic of France’s ban on the veil, I disagreed with the law. I took a position based on my customs as an American citizen which differs completely to those of France. International critics began to argue that France is violating what people call “Freedom of Religion”, which I agreed with at first. As a foreigner from America, I am accustomed to the American governments definition of freedom of religion. Protected by the First Amendment “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof: or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” (Religious Freedom). You can express your religion in public, during church, mass, or religious meetings. So the presence of religious items such as the

Although Zvi Ammar says it it the hardest decision he had ever made, it would be safer for them to not wear their kippas rather than wearing the kippas and have the risk of getting targeted. The kippa, traditionally worn by men, is meant to remind the wearer of God’s presence over him. The Jewish teacher

During the Middle Ages, Jewish individuals maintained a strong sense of a collective unity while living without autonomy. Jewish people in the Middle Ages were stateless, and many felt as if they were foreigners inside of countries that they have lived in for years. However, despite this disconnect, Jews were a part of the everyday community life and often associated with their Christian or Muslim counterparts. It was this complex social structure that allowed Jewish members of society to both able to maintain a separate identity during the Middle Ages through their sacred time, communal ties, literacy, and family ties, while still being acculturated into the society in which they lived.

Jewish history is a study of a people in exile. Since the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem, the experience of the Jewish individual in relation to non-Jewish society has often been that of an outsider looking in. In addition, the distinct Jewish culture, religion, and philosophy identifiably marked the Jews as a separate people. Although this demarcation exposed the Jews to many negative ideological trends, Isaac Deutscher’s “The Non-Jewish Jew” argues that this marginalization enabled the great thinkers of the 19th and 20th centuries to revolutionize the European continent. As the title suggests, the non-Jewish Jews were individuals that abandoned Judaism. Deutscher argues that the historical exclusion

The simple fact that French Jews feel threatened enough to want to refrain from participating in their religion is frightening. But, regarding the circumstances that have enveloped themselves around French Jews in the recent past, proclaiming yourself Jewish and adorning a scullcap makes you a target, and sometimes it simply isn’t safe. Contrastingly, there are French Jews out there who feel so strongly about their religion that they refuse to do anything besides proudly show the world who they are. The fact of the matter is, whether a French Jew wears a kippa or not is their personal decision.

I believe that Jews should keep wearing their kippas. I believe this because it would not be fair to them if they could not still continue some of the practices of their religion. This situation in France relates to the United States because they are both having problems with showing their support to a religion. In the United States it is muslim women who wear their headscarves, and in France the situation is that Jews can not wear their kippas. Anytime either one of these religions wear one of these they get persecuted by somebody. The Jews are persecuted by a hate group called ISIS, and the muslims are persecuted by everyone because ISIS gives muslims a terrible representation. In the Article of the Week it says,”Harassment threats, and vandalism

Something that caught my attention was the fact that wearing a kippa is proclaiming "I am proud to be Jewish". A fascinating phenomenon is that many non-observant Jews visiting Israel wear a kippa during their stay. This may be because of the fact that the whole land of Israel is holy as a synagogue or it may be the elimination of any kind of Judaism.

“Shir Tikvah is a Kehillah kedosha (holy community) joyfully revealing the intersections of Talmud Torah (lifelong Torah study), t 'filah (prayer), tzedakah (justice), and hachnasat orchim (radical hospitality)”. Shir Tikvah meaning “Song of Hope” is a Reform Jewish Temple located on Minnehaha Parkway in Minneapolis. The congregation was established in 1988 when Stacy Offner, first woman Rabbi in MN, resigned from Mount Zion Temple after a disagreement over her homosexuality. Offner and six of her supporters joined together as they shared a mutual vision of starting a synagogue with more of a liberal approach to Judaism. They desired to have a synagogue that was welcoming and personal: encouraging people with varying Jewish lifestyles to be active in the study of the Torah, as well social and justice issues involving the Jewish community. About a month later, the small group held an informal meeting to discuss their ambitions with people who they thought would be interested. More than 200 people attended this meeting.

Explore conflicting accounts of Jewish Identity in The Mandlebaum Gate. The Mandlebaum Gate is a novel by Muriel Spark set in the territories of Jerusalem and Jordan during the Eichmann Trials. Within the novel there is a character "Barbara Vaughan" who is a Gentile Jewess. She travels within Israel and Jordan on a pilgrimage to see the holy shrines and has various adventures and encounters during her trip.

For thousands of years, our planet has been and still is a home to many living creatures. The emergence of human kind provided very fertile grounds for the evolution of many aspects that define our history and society today - cultures, traditions, world perceptions and religions. Nowadays with all the break-through technology and incredibly advanced lifestyles many people start to lose their spiritual identity and look for a bigger meaning of their lives, the connection to something more and a general sense of belonging. Not surprisingly, very often they find it in religion. It is safe to say that one of the vivid examples would be Jewish people that pride themselves on incredibly significant and rich history, culture and religion. The thousands

When I was introduced to the topic of France’s ban on the veil, I disagreed with the law. I took a position based on my customs as an American citizen, which differs completely from those of France. International critics began to argue that France is violating what people call “Freedom of Religion,” which I agreed with at first. As a foreigner from America, I am accustomed to the American government’s definition of freedom of religion. Protected by the First Amendment, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise.” (Religious Freedom). You can express your religion in public, during church, mass, or religious meetings. So the presence of religious items such as the burqa's and veil do not disturb the people or government.