Reconstructionist Judaism Essay

Sitting in a comfortable leather chair on a cloudy January day, I sat in a house and interviewed Susan Gustavson, a life long Jew that is in her mid-fifties. She is a graduate of UC Berkeley and Columbia University, where she got an MBA in marketing. She told me about her opinions on the Judaism.

The authors classify the second response to the ultimatum as an assimilationist response; it is the negotiation of the Jewish difference. The creation of the new nation-state allowed Jews to privatize their religious differences, which meant Judaism would be tolerated as long as it was an individual’s personal faith. Powers states that the term “assimilationist” can be better understood as “adaptationism.” This is the impulse of Jews to rid or hide any differences in order to adapt into society. “The unending need to identify, vilify, and ultimately negate threatening Jewish difference is the key distinguishing marker of assimilationism as an active, politically salient ideology (Powers, 114).

There was a sense of community rather than a religious longing and yearning to return to Palestine. Reform Jews were considered to be more of a social gain than a religious cult, some even saw the Reform movement as bringing Judaism ‘up to date’. It is difficult to determine the type of Judaism represented in Falsettoland as no explicit references are made, however, throughout the course of this paper, the use of features of both traditional Orthodox Judaism and Reform Judaism suggest that Falsettoland depicts a hybrid of the two. Judaism in America began growing in the 1830s when the Jews of Germany began to arrive on American soil. An important factor in the Jewish immigration is that these Jews were either Reform Jews or were secular Jews who had, for whatever reason, dropped Judaism altogether.

Jonathan Rosen and Ari Elon are from two different worlds. Both live, however, in diaspora—Rosen in the void between the Holocaust and American plentitude, and Elon in that between the existence of a Jewish state and the inability of such a state to survive. Of course, these simple monikers do nothing truly to exemplify fully the great conflicting ideas with which these individuals deal; antiquity and modernity, talmud and Torah, life and death, exile and homeland, and, admittedly, many more dominate the situations of both authors. This is, perhaps, a testament to the condition of Jews today—ensnared between conflicting worlds, and forced into exile between disparate ideals, the Jewish people must make complex decisions as to which side

After World War II ended, Jewish immigrants fled to the United States in order to find a more lucrative and prosperous future for themselves, and their families. Often viewing America as an “El Dorado”, Jews believed that moving to the United States would bring them success and happiness. Unfortunately, immigrants found themselves facing hardships instead. As a result, Jewish communities often quickly fell apart, and people generally viewed them as a whole separate “race”, instead of a religion, opening them up to facing prejudices as well. While enduring the post-war time period, many originally optimistic Jews faced much suffering and came to accept disappointment as a way of life. Often feeling alienated, immigrants clung to their religion as a solace from the world around them, in addition to helping them remember and keep alive their culture. Jewish doctrine taught at an early age the importance of doing well to others. That is to say, Jews would rather face suffering, than to live knowing they chose to do wrong to others. This fundamental “Jewish” concept is what people refer to as “The Golden Rule”. Bernard Malamud’s novel The Assistant follows an Italian man, Frank Alpine, through his journey of self-discovery, while using him to illustrate the dynamics of how the internal struggle differs for Jews versus non-Jews. Additionally, Bernard Malamud showcases Frank’s journey, in his novel The Assistant, to allow his readers a better understanding of the

In this book Novak has brings forward insight into the Jewish tradition, and its relevance within today’s discussions and debates. In these discussions the questions regarding the relations of rights and duties, how the rights of an individual relates to the rights of groups, the origin of rights and whether the polities inspired by political theories are viable. Political liberalism, beginning during the Enlightenment, hosts a strong emphasis on autonomy and individual rights, is what drives the prevailing view of Western World’s philosophy. However in recent times communitarians has begun challenging the liberalist idea of individuality, and those ideal based on individualism. Communitarians have recently called upon a renewal in

For more than two thousand years anti-Semitism has plagued the Jews, however, the term has only been around for about thirty years (Strack 594). Due to the hateful accusations and of those who did not understand their religion, Jews, as a scorned people, gradually became more exclusive and intolerant of other religions. Because of Judaism’s strict adherence to their own beliefs and unwillingness to consider any alternatives, Muslims and Christians have scorned and persecuted Jews.

Magid's brilliant introduction really sets the tone for the rest of his book. American Jews or Jewish Americans? American Judaism or Judaism in America? One is; the other describes. It is without question that America has offered Jews the most loving society in the Jewish Diaspora, but at the same time it is also proving to be problematic. Jews are in a current state of transition in that they have to figure out a way to adapt their Jewishness beyond their ethnicity. The Jewish leaders in America have been wondering how to handle the sky rocketing assimilation and intermarriage rates, because they are fearful that it will lead to the end of not

Throughout history, there has not been a more persecuted ethnoreligious group than the Jews; examples of their persecution can be traced back to Biblical times. Because of their mistreatment by other ethnic and religious groups, the Jewish people have formed a self-identity that is unlike any other cultural group in this world. There are three components that make up the Jewish self-identity: antisemitism and its effects, the image of the self-hating Jew, often a result of antisemitism, and the events and repercussions of the Holocaust.

“If we are to have peace on earth, our loyalties must become ecumenical rather than sectional. Our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class, and our nation; and this means we must develop a world perspective,” said Martin Luther King Jr. No other race of people on earth have been persecuted and oppressed more than the Jews. This persistent reality of their history is a sharp reminder that history does repeat itself and it’s not always beneficial.

I am a very spiritual person and am always interested in learning about other religions, especially the three monotheistic faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. I feel I have an adequate knowledge of Christianity and Islam, but I do not know much about Judaism. This paper will focus on the questions I have about Judaism. I have always wanted to know the fundamental beliefs of Judaism. I want to know how many Jews there are in the United States and in the world. I often see Orthodox Jewish men wearing yarmulkes and prayer shawls, and I wonder what is the purpose of wearing these. And finally, I wanted to know what is the role of women in Judaism.

Despite the significant (and not always subtle) differences that exist among and between various Jewish populations, Jews have long been thought of as a highly-cohesive social group, with shared values and loyalties that cut across geographic, linguistic and other lines. Drilling down into the historical record, however, one discovers a much different reality. In this essay, I will seek to address and dispel the notion that those who subscribe to the Jewish faith have always moved in lockstep with one another. Upon closer examination, it becomes clear that the concept of Jewish singularity is in fact a myth. Some clear examples of this are found in Europe.

The idea of Israel as a place of refuge for Soviet Jews has a troubled history. Israel has always encouraged and assisted immigration and absorption as part of a pro-immigration ideology and policy. Israel is a safe-haven for Jews. However, the heavy migration of the Soviet Jews into Israel caused Israelis to rethink their past . The immigration of Soviet Jews to Israel brought significant social and cultural changes to Israel in terms of the historical question about the nature of Jewish identity, as well as put Judaism itself into question. The question, “who is a Jew?” formed the basis of historical claims about the religious nature of legal Jewish identity. The Soviet Jews faced cultural displacement

On March 7, Dr. Lawrence Wills presented a lecture entitled “The Origin of the Jewish Identity in Ancient World”. The purpose of this lecture was to identify where the terms Jew and Judaism came from. In his lecture, Dr. Wills also spoke on how the same term could be used as an insult or as appreciation. However, in order to understand Dr. Lawrence Wills lecture, one must look at the historical aspect of it first, especially if they are not familiar with the history.

Every religion has its own set of contradictions and hypocrisies and continues to be a recurring trait found within its believers. Philip Roth’s short story, “The Conversion of the Jews,”illustrates an adolescent boy’s journey into adulthood and discovery of his own identity as he questions his religion and ultimately emancipates himself from the restrictive forces of his peers.