Synagogue Visit

Having the privilege to serve in the military has allowed this writer the opportunity to be exposed to the pluralistic society in a way which has exposed him to the beauty of the diversity enjoyed in American culture. One aspect of said diversity is the interaction which has taken place amongst the Christian and various world religions who also wear the same uniform in defense of America. It was the pleasure of the writer to attend a local synagogue in which his Jewish brothers and sisters welcomed him with open arms. The local congregation of Jewish believers went out of their way in order to ensure their newest visitor understood the flow of service and the significance of the ritual which took place on the first Shabbat or Sabbath of the month. The following essay will serve to detail the worship experience as well as how it and other beliefs of Judaism compare/contrast with the Christian faith.

When I visited my first Jewish synagogue, I expected it to be very different. My previous experience with religious ceremonies was limited to a few visits to Baptist churches. The most surprising thing for me at this one was, oddly enough, its similarity to Christian services and rituals. I went into the religious visit expecting an enormous difference in the customs and perhaps even in the attitudes of the people attending the service. What I found instead was a religious ceremony very reminiscent of the Christian ones I’ve been to before.

The synagogue was an extremely modern looking building, and in my opinion looked like most churches that I have been to and am more familiar with. Pulling into the parking lot, there were newer vehicles and luxury vehicles, which made me believe most of the members were of a middle to high socioeconomic class. There was

The Tucson Jewish Community Center (JCC) is a hub for both Jewish and non-Jewish members of the Tucson community to interact through a number of different activities such as sports, art classes, and summer camps. The primary industry for the JCC is the Civic and Youth Organizations industry which has a NAICS code of 81341. Currently, the industry is in the decline stage of its life cycle with an expected annual decline of 1%. The JCC faces macro-competition through the AAU Junior Olympics and International Youth Olympics, and faces micro competition through the Tucson Soccer Shootout and NYS Tucson (For more details see Appendix A and B). The JCC faces macro-competition through the AAU Junior

One interesting concept that I learned was to stand the book straight up on the next available chair, instead of faced down or in any other position to accentuate the importance of the scriptures and prayers that the books consist of. The service started promptly at 9:00 pm in which the members of the Jewish Synagogue were already wearing a tallit, which is a prayer shawl that represents the six hundred and thirteen commandments, and silently prayer with a swaying motion incorporated. After asking the congregate that was aiding the observers throughout the service, he explained that Jews usually sway, rock, or shake because it is stated that the physical act is a way of connecting spiritually to God while praying along with other justifications within the Torah. My initial feelings regarding the acceptance of me as a visitor was kind of unsettling because I was the center of attention along with the two other observers. Some congregates would greet us warmly offering any help, while some others often discretely talked among their other fellow congregates about our attendance with some people staring for portions of the service. Besides, the interaction of the congregates to the clergy was very divided in the aspect of gender roles due to the fact that the table that two intricate cased Torahs were brought out on could only be seen by the men and recite by men only. As far as the division of roles, I found it interesting that some of the women explained to us that it was not a form of disrespect or act of degrading because they play their specialized role in the congregation, which is often misunderstood and in their perspective more liberating than most portray it to me. It was also explained to me that women are seen as separate but equal when stated throughput Jewish

What made this assignment difficult for me is that I do not know any Jewish people. I was not aware there was a Jewish synagogue found in Beaumont, Texas, twenty miles from my home. Additionally, I was not aware that Houston had a museum dedicated to the Holocaust either. Furthermore, I am ashamed to admit I was not aware that Jewish

At 10:00 on April 30th, I visited Temple Israel for the Shabbat service. It is a Jewish Synagogue in Canton, Ohio. The Shabbat service included praising God and honoring it as a day of rest for people and for God. Before I walked into the actual room of worship there was a table of Kappa’s. They are the little white hats you wear on the back of your head. I learned that it’s custom in Judaism to cover your head before going into the sanctuary as a sign of respect. There were also programs of information what’s going on in the synagogue. There’s also a rack of Tallit’s, Jewish adults wear these and before they put it on they say a prayer. In the actual sanctuary, there were pews, a Bimah which is the stage, an ark which faces Jerusalem where the Torah is held, and a light called Ter Namid which is an eternal light that is always on to represent God’s eternal watchfulness over his followers. In front of the pews there were Siddurs which is a Jewish prayer book. It contains daily and Shabbat prayers. They are in Hebrew and in English and since I am a non-Jew, I followed along in the English side that is printed alongside the Hebrew side. The Rabbi calls out what page they are on during the service in this book. This is similar to what priests do at church. There is also a Chumash which is what includes the five books and I learned that it is commonly the same book as the Torah. Out of a sign of respect, I had to stand whenever the Ark was opened or whenever the Torah was

For this assignment I took part in a religious service at a small Orthodox Church in Baltimore.

On November 22nd I went to Brooklyn Tabernacle with my best friend and her mother. I knew prior, going to this service would count as legitimate performance so much so that I could write a review on it since firstly, I remember whilst watching Obama’s 2012 inauguration ceremony on television that this church choir performed and phenomenally at that. I also knew the gist of what to expect in view of the fact that the two that I attended the church with, regularly attend Brooklyn Tabernacle’s Sunday service.

Personally, I really enjoyed this sermon. Instead of it feeling like I was listening to a rabbi speak about Judaism, I felt like I was listening to a family friend speak about life. You felt like you personally knew the rabbi because he was so opened to talking about his family, and their recent vacation. I thought it was brilliant how Rabbi Neely took his experience on a water ride and was able to relate it to everyday life and his own faith.

Reform synagogues often have a service on Friday evenings, but not one on Saturday morning. Some may do both, but the ones I've been in have only had the Friday service. Orthodox synagogues will always have a substantial Saturday morning service, usually 3 hours long, with some worshipers staying this whole time, and others coming in later or leaving at various times.

Preparations such as learning how to read the hebrew language, advancing to read the Torah and then learning their specific Haftorah section which is read front to back, which is the section that they will be read in one of their speeches. Bar Mitzvahs traditionally take place in Temple during a normal Saturday morning session after the boy’s 13th birthday. The Bar Mitzvah (boy) will be leading this Saturday session, and it is open to all members of the temple along with their family members or close friends whom they wish to attend and watch them make this transformation from child to man. The service tends to begin with a song and a moment of meditation. Following this the Bar Mitzvah (boy) is presented with a Tallit by their parents, and as it is being given to them the Rabbi is explaining the importance and significance of this religious garb to those in attendance. After this the Bar Mitzvah (boy) begins leading the service from the bima, a raised platform with a reading desk, whilst being assisted by the Rabbi. The participant then carries the Torah from the Ark, which houses it through the congregation up to the bima following a specific path, to begin the Torah passing ceremony from one generation to another until it ends with the Bar Mitzvah (boy) as the most recent member of the family to ascend into adulthood. Next the Torah reading is divided into 4 parts, 3 people, family

Religious traditions depend on certain institutions/structures. They play vital role in formation of cultures and their progress. These structures have an important role in not only for this world but also transcendent. They sustain religions as crucial symbols. Thus, knowing the origins and historical developments of these symbols can help to the codes of cultures. In this context, the base of tent temple representing the origin of temple tradition in Judaism is an important issue. In this regard, this study addresses the origin of the tent temple. In this perspective, this study explores not only the importance of the textual sources and but also socio-historical factors of tent temple as important part of early Judaism. Therefore, this study

entering the general area of the synagogue, it looked like a school or a daycare, and then entering they had a simple directory for the main office for the school they held. When entering the building they had three areas where service could be held. When asked we were led, to what appeared to be, the smallest of the service rooms. Before entering the service they had a mini gallery of art pieces, such as sculptures, paintings, and specially designed emblems that they used for worship.

When it comes to the topic of understanding religions other than one’s own, most are educated by what they have learned through their reading, or have been taught by professors, colleagues, friends and neighbors. Few have the curiosity, courage, and in my case a course requirement to attend a service of another religion and dialogue with those practicing that particular religion. I chose to visit the Shree Swaminarayan Mandir on Prescott Avenue mainly because of my curiosity regarding the diversity of the practice of Hindusim. I attended two services, one being the celebration of Diwali, the festival of lights, and the other being an ordinary Sunday ritual. These experiences have given me a unique understanding of the practice of Hinduism