Obstacles In Jewish Life

Once the Hews got kicked out of their homeland shortly after Jesus died, they were forced to other countries, they were discriminated against in many ways and forced to feel like they were strangers. This means even though they had lived in that country for many years they still felt like strangers by the way they were treated. The Jews were mistreated in many ways. They were hated, misunderstood, patient, and boycotted for many years until they got back Israel. Anti-Semitism was one reasons Israel was created in 1948.

“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

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

Reflecting back to the Bible during the time of captivity, the spiritual condition of the people had mixed results. Many of them rebuked God and idolized other gods to help them restore their lives. The Israelites also fell into spiritual slothfulness and disobeyed the laws of marriage and their loyalty to God. However, some rejoiced, “The sons of Israel who returned from exile and all those who had separated themselves from the impurity of the nations of the land to join them, to seek the Lord God of Israel, ate the Passover. And they observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy, for the Lord had caused them to rejoice, and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them to encourage them in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel” (Ezra 6:21-22). Then many fell from God’s realm and didn’t trust what was in store for them so they did not want to leave the place they were once captive, so they became part of the community.

Since the beginning of the Judaism, the Jewish people have been subject to hardships and discrimination. They have not been allowed to have a stabile place of worship and have also faced persecution and atrocities that most of us can not even imagine. Three events that have had a big impact on the Jewish faith were the building and destruction of the First Great Temple, the Second Great Temple and the events of the Holocaust. In this paper, I will discuss these three events and also explain and give examples as to why I feel that the Jewish people have always been discriminated against and not allowed the freedom of worship.

The introduction and development of Judaism was not easy. On one hand the people have to adjust to the new place and on the other hand the Jews population have to deal with the different traditions , language, and economic between their religion. Therefore, the main challenge faced by the Jews was the division between German and Eastern European Jews, because it created dispersal communities incapables of supporting Jews in need after the Second World War.

The Jewish community has faced many issues throughout the existence of their religion. Most people were not welcoming of the Jewish culture which had compelled them to face many different forms of catastrophe. One of the most familiar types of catastrophe that the Jews have faced is the Holocaust. Ever since the Jewish religion was created gentiles did not accept the Jewish customs. Religious intolerance against the Jews and the Holocaust were very degrading, but instead of rolling over, they rose above the discrimination and hatred and became stronger because of it.

Judaism has great significance in our religions and history today. It’s interesting how each little thing can have such an important role in a whole religion. In conclusion, Jewish beliefs, customs, holidays, symbols, history, and the holocaust all play a crucial role in making Jews who they are

Throughout the history of Judaism, Jewish people have faced ongoing persecution and discrimination. Despite these conflicts, the faith remains alive, strong, and continuously growing. Like many religions faced with adversity, Judaism has had to assimilate its faith to survive in an ever-changing world. One significant moment of change in the Jewish history, the fall of the Second Temple, had the opportunity to destroy Judaism, but the Jewish people bonded together and reformulated their religion in order to save their faith. The falling of the Second Temple marks a distinct change in the Jewish faith through the modification of ritual practices to accommodate their new mobile lifestyle. This change would forever impact the Jewish

Every religious group has suffered a time when their religion was not considered to be popular or right. Out of all of these religious groups that have suffered, no one group has suffered so much as that of the Jewish religion. They have been exiled from almost every country that they have ever inhabited, beginning with Israel, and leading all the was up to Germany, France, Spain, England, and Russia. Not only have they been exiled but also they have suffered through torture, punishment, and murder. Thus, because of the history of the religion, the Jewish people have become a very resilient people. They have survived thousands of years carrying their religion with them from one country to

Persecution and Perseverance are displayed throughout Jewish history from the time of 1800 BCE to modern day. In the story of Abraham and the covenant with God, Hebrews suffered through the drought in Canaan, became slaves of the Egyptians, survived many plagues, fought for their land, had The Great Temple destroyed twice and, exiled from their promise land where the Jewish faith was banned. In more modern times Jewish people are still persecuted and discriminated against. The Holocaust took place from 1933-1945 which involved discrimination against Jews that lead to isolation and persecution. The Holocaust is one of the most remembered and important events that has lead to their overall perseverance. The Holocaust, was lead by Nazis Germany and their collaborators, to abolish mainly Jews living in Europe. The Nazis believed that they were superior and that the existence of Jews threatened them. Hitler sent Jews to concentration camps and the ghettos where they were forced into labour and were slaughtered in mass shootings or killed by carbon monoxide gas. All Jewish people's names were replaced with identification numbers and separated from their families. During the time of the Holocaust, it was very hard for Jewish people to have hope of survival and that there would be “light at the end of the tunnel” but, they never gave up or never gave in and persevered against the hatred towards them and the empt of completely annihilating all Jews. Another example of perseverance of Jewish people is after the destruction of The Great Temple which was seen as the center of the Jewish world/ faith, people thought that was the end of Judaism because it was known that If you couldn’t go to the temple, you weren’t upholding the covenant of the Jewish faith and with Yahweh. Once the temple was destroyed, the Jewish preserved against not having a place of worship and the era of “portable Judaism” was procreated. Synagogues were created as a place for Jews to worship. A synagogue was anywhere with a minimum of ten men and a Torah in a room. Synagogues are still used as a place of worship but are now more accessible and are filled with things such as stain glass windows which honor God by making the synagogue look beautiful

Jewish people were tortured, abused, and subjected through horrific unfathomable situations by Nazi Germany during the Holocaust. Despite all of the unpragmatic hardships Jews all over Europe faced, many stayed true to their faith and religion. There are numerous stories in which Jewish people tried to keep the roots of their religion well knowing the risk of torture and death. The never ending fear of Jewish people living in the Ghettos and trying to survive concentration camps was difficult, but not impossible for the Jews to keep religion.

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.

Before we can totally dive into how the Temple destruction changed Judaism, we must gain some knowledge of the Jewish faith itself, as well as Jewish terms. One of the first ideas many people may discover about the term “Jew” is its lack of use in the Old Testament scriptures.

After King Saul died, David was appointed king. The temple built by King Solomon who also held the Ark of the Covenant. This was where sacrifices were made to God. After the first temple was built the Jewish people were sent to Babylon and after their return 50 years later, a second temple was built. This second temple was where the Torah was established. After a war with the Romans in 132-135 CE the Jewish temple was destroyed and Jewish people were forbidden to practice their faith (Fisher, 2005). Judea was renamed Palestine and the Jewish people no longer had a home.