Judaism- Myths and Misconceptions

Stereotypes are socially constructed, over-generalized views regarding a particular group of persons with certain characteristics that are widely accepted, and usually expected, in a society. The dominant group of a certain society, which in this case is probably Caucasians and men, usually creates these social constructions. Claude M. Steele, a researcher from Stanford University, performed multiple research studies on the idea and psychological effects of stereotypes on its victims. In his studies, he coins the term “stereotype threat” as the “social-psychological predicament that can arise from widely-known negative stereotypes about one's group,” which implies that “the existence of such a stereotype means that anything one does or any of one's features that conform to it make the stereotype more plausible as a self-characterization in the eyes of others, and perhaps even in one's own eyes” (Steele 797).

Stereotyping is a normal part of every one’s life. Humans, by nature, classify things. We name animals and classify them by common characteristics but stereotyping can have negative repercussions, and everyone does it. In a recent study it was proven that everyone has an unconscious need to stereotype (Paul). In Junteenth and The Invisible man, Ralph Ellison argues that stereotyping can cause mayhem by making the people become something they are not.

Judaism, which originated in the middle east, is one of the oldest religions in the world. Judaism is the religion from where Catholicism and Islam have their roots. The main difference between Judaism and the previously mentioned religions is that Judaism is based on the old testament entirely excluding the new testaments in its teachings. Jews believe that they are the people chosen by God and that because of the covenant they have the duty, more than any other group of people, to keep the law of God. The law of God in Judaism comes in the form of the Torah. The books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, which are said to have been written by Moses, form the Torah.

In life, there is a common ground on which most every person can relate. At one time or another, we have all been promoters of or victims of the unremitting nature of stereotypes. According to the Webster’s dictionary, a stereotype is defined as “a simplified and standardized conception or image invested with special meaning and held in common by members of a group.” Most stereotypes take on a negative form and are based on characteristics such as age, gender, race, status, and personal beliefs. Generally speaking, the greatest problem that arises with stereotypes is that they judge group of people by the characteristics and actions of their ancestors, rather than on an individual basis. More often than not, these assumptions will

Judaism is one of the oldest Abrahamic religion on the earth. Israel is the only Jewish country in the world. There are many kind Jews, but the most recognized are orthodox, Ashkenazim, Sephardic and Mizrahi. Orthodox Jews are those, who understand the holy and the laws book of Judaism and believe in the implementation of the book to the state where they live. They are also considered the legally recognized religion of Israel. Orthodox are have political and legal control over the Jewish state. Ashkenazim Jews are those who came from Europe. Most of them escape Europe and settle down in Palestine because of the racial and religious discrimination they faced. Sephardic Jews are those who belongs from Iberian Peninsula, which Spain and Portugal

In today’s society it has become a norm to make assumptions of an individual and categorize them into groups that fit them. This would be known as stereotyping, and it occurs everyday and almost everywhere. It can affect someone’s everyday life along with their emotions. A stereotype is a widely held idea or image of a a group of people and is based off of some truth, while misconceptions are based off no evidence at all. Stereotypes can either be positive or negative. Stereotypes exist because that’s how the human brain functions, they see something that repeats within a group of people and that’s how stereotyping begins. An example of a positive stereotype would be that African-Americans are very athletic. However, there can be some negative

In this world there are many things people are guilty of, one of those guilt’s is stereotyping others , even if it wasn’t meant in a harmful are negative way we all have been a victim or the aggressor . This paper will discuses what stereotypes are, how they affect people and how stereotypes can affect society. However, the common factor in either situation is that no good comes from stereotyping others.

There are various times that people face different forms of discrimination, whether that be from past historical events that caused those forms of discrimination to form, such as the Jim Crow laws and the “Separate but Equal” doctrine that allowed for racial segregation in restaurants, trains, and several other place that one would not expect nowadays. However these same discriminations that took hold of many lives, both in the past and the present, have also taken into account forms of stereotyping. Stereotyping is the putting of labels on any person should act or behave based on their race, religion, and/or sex as well as several other features and facts. However, stereotyping is not something that is recently new, and has most definitely

Stereotype threats are unconscious and found in a wide-range of people.The author really wants stereotyping to stop so he proposes a solution to the problem. He stated that “A core idea in many interventions is to give people a sense of belonging.” This can mean

Judaism is an ethnic religion, this means that it appeals mainly to one group of people living in one place. Roughly two-fifths of the world’s 14 million Jews live in the United States and the other two-fifths live in Israel. The way Judaism is distributed is different than other ethnic religions because it is practiced in countries other then its place of origin. Around 70 A.D. the Romans forced the Jews to disperse all over the world, an action known as diaspora. Some other

First of all, before I begin with my research on Judaism, I did not consider that the Jews only believes in God. I thought that they accepted every word from the bible and that even though they have a Jewish calendar and different practices, that the bible that I use was quite similar with them with both Old Testament and New Testament. I knew that Judaism was the one of the oldest religions in the world that still exists today and was recorded in the bible. I had no indication that tells me that they observed different traditions and there are different branches of Judaism. I also thought that Judaism was Christianity. Both believe in God, (monotheism) the only God almighty, the one who created the universe, and because both shared the Hebrew Scriptures. I also thought that all Jewish men have beard and lovely hair. I thought that males were black hat and black coat at all times on Shabbath

Most people find stereotypes to be obnoxious, especially when they have to do with sensitive subjects like gender or race. “Stereotyping is a generalization about a group or category of people that can have a powerful influence on how we perceive others and their communication behaviors” (Floyd, 61). Because they underestimate the differences among individuals in a group, stereotyping can lead to inaccurate and offensive perceptions of other people. Although stereotypes are prevalent in almost every society, becoming aware of our perceptions of others, as well as differentiating between both positive and negative stereotypes can help us overcome those stereotypes.

Judaism stems from the promise made to Abraham by God that he would make him and his family the sacred people and bestow upon them a holy land. This is known as the covenant. In order for God to keep up his part of the covenant, Israelites would have to obey God and his

The presences of stereotypes are overwhelming and are developed by both the environment a subject is raised in and their family. Stereotypes, which are pervasive throughout different societies, become intertwined in the collective values of the society as justification for all forms of social, economic, and political inequality among groups (Devine and Elliot 2000;Kaplan 2004; Operario and Fiske 2004). As people become more exposed to stereotypes they start to become a permanent part of a person’s life, they begin to stereotype themselves almost always involuntarily.

Stereotypes have an overwhelming effect especially on the people they are directed towards. Studying stereotypes helps in understanding the factors leading to discrimination of certain people and not others. This is because stereotypes are depictive of opinions that are often passed from one generation to another within a particular culture. Mass media such as television and newspapers form a common source of opinions in the contemporary society (Kotter & Hess, 2012). The media presents messages in steady, repetitive, and compelling manner, making them believable to almost everybody. Stereotyping opinion and depictions from the media can thus have detrimental effects on the