JUDAISM: BELIEFS, HOLIDAYS, COMMUNICATION, AND STEREOTYPES

Judaism: Beliefs, Holidays, Communication, and Stereotypes

Vincent Corsi
University of Kentucky

JUDAISM: BELIEFS, HOLIDAYS, COMMUNICATION, AND STEREOTYPES

Judaism: Beliefs, Holidays, Communication, and Stereotypes

Judaism, according to Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, is among the eldest
religions on the earth today. Just like any modern-day religion, Judaism has a set of beliefs that
are specific to their religion. What defines their religion, along with their beliefs, is what
separates Judaism from most other religions seen today. Communication is an important part of
any religion in order to transfer the beliefs from one individual to the next and from one source
to another. Similar to most cultures and religions, Judaism isnt immune to the harsh perceptions
and stereotypes humans place on each other. Many of those perceptions were a direct result of
anti-semantic feeling generated during the Second World War. Judaism is a religion based
around a unique set of ideals and communication that often makes it and its followers the target
of harsh stereotypes.
No matter what religion is studied they all have something in common, a set of beliefs
that distinguish them from other religions. While there are many beliefs of Judaism, there are
some beliefs that are more central than others. Ultimately, Judaism centers on the idea of one
God, Yahweh, who formed the Earth and has influence over the world and all of its inhabitants.
According to Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia (2014), Jewish people believe that
everything happens for a reason and that nothing occurs due to random chance. Since God
influences the world and watches over all of its inhabitants, it would only make sense that what
occurs on Earth is a direct result of divine intervention. It is also believed that no person should
interfere with anothers relationship with God. According to Funk & Wagnalls New World
Encyclopedia (2014), this second main ideal involved an agreement known as the Covenant
between God and the Jewish people With this agreement, the Jewish people promised to
follow God, recognizing Him as their leader. In exchange for their loyalty, God promised to

JUDAISM: BELIEFS, HOLIDAYS, COMMUNICATION, AND STEREOTYPES

keep watch over Israel. Oftentimes, when positive or negative events occur within Israel, the
Jewish people see it as a result of offending God in a particular way (Funk & Wagnalls, 2014). If
the Jewish people strayed slightly from the path God set out for them, it was believed that God
corrected that path by a negative event. The ideas that Judaism is monotheistic and about an
agreement with God are two of the central beliefs of Judaism.
While there were two distinct main beliefs of Judaism, many more beliefs exist. For
example, the Jewish people believe that God has spoken through the prophets and, from speaking
through the prophets, established the Torah (Bodhinatha Veylanswami, 2015). The Torah
communicated Gods will for his people, providing a set of ideals to which his people should live
by. Those ideals include adherence to law, justice, charity, honestymonotheism, and piety
(Bodhinatha Veylanswami, 2015, p. 40). Keeping these ideals in mind, the Jewish people are
challenged to live their lives while also honoring Gods will. Finally, rounding out the major
beliefs of Judaism would be the home should be created and maintained as a House of God by
conducting prayers, rituals, sacred festivals, and observing the Sabbath (Bodhinatha
Veylanswami, 2015). The Jewish people make prayer an integral part of every day, have certain
days and parts of the year where rituals and festivals are observed and celebrated, and observe
the Sabbath within the confines of their homes. Taking what was uncovered about Judaism and
its beliefs, a more in-depth look of the holidays and the Sabbath will be conducted to determine
what defines Judaism.
Similar to most religions, Judaism has holidays and a Sabbath to guide them
through the journey of their faith. Aside from using the home as a place of worship, the Jewish
people go to the synagogue for worship and prayer. The Synagogue isnt just a place of
worship, it means a house of assembly for all Jewish activities (Epstein, 1969, p.74).

JUDAISM: BELIEFS, HOLIDAYS, COMMUNICATION, AND STEREOTYPES

Typically, the Jewish people go to the synagogue to celebrate the Sabbath and other holidays and
festivals. Most notably, the synagogue is a place where most Jewish people can go in order to
worship God in an established way, usually through some form of prayer or education (Epstein,
1969). Judaism utilizes a synagogue much in the way that Christianity utilizes a church, for
prayer and learning about your own relationship with God.
Holidays and festivals are a special part of every religion. Judaism has its fair share of
holidays and festivals, aimed at remembering and celebrating the past. There are a series of three
holidays known as the High Holy Days due to the reflective nature of the holidays that fall
within the time frame. The very first holiday, Rosh Hashanah, also known as the Jewish New
Year, involves going to the synagogue to celebrate. While at the synagogue, the Jewish people
blow the shofar, or rams horn, to think about Godand to act noblyduring the months to
come (Epstein, 1969, p. 3). Also while at home, they dip various foods into honey for hope of a
sweet New Year. Rosh Hashanah primarily serves to remind the Jewish people that God is their
leader and that they should act according to his will. Through acting upon Gods will, the Jewish
people will prosper and the New Year will be great one. The second holiday, The Fast of
Gedaliah, serves as a memorial feast day. According to Epstein (1969), the fast is a way to
remember Gedaliah, a member of the House of David who was working for Jewish
independence that was assassinated. The High Holy Days, which began with Rosh Hashanah,
end with Yom Kippur. Known as the holiest day of the year, Yom Kippur involves prayer,
fasting, blessings, and seeking forgiveness. Epstein states that According to tradition, the
judgment of every man, woman, and child is inscribed in the Heavenly Book of Life on Rosh
Hashanah and sealed on the Day of Atonement (Epstein, 1969, p. 3). The fate of every Jewish
persons soul is determined during the High Holy Days and at the end, each person aims for

JUDAISM: BELIEFS, HOLIDAYS, COMMUNICATION, AND STEREOTYPES

forgiveness and happiness. The High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah, Fast of Gedaliah, and Yom
Kippur are the most important of the Jewish holidays and festivals.
While the High Holy Days are the most important in the Jewish faith, there are other
holidays and festivals that are less important but just as well-known. Hanukkah and Passover are
two of the lesser, well-known holidays. Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, serves
as a memorial from when the Hasmoneans recaptured Jerusalem from the Syrian Greeksthey
cleansed the Temple and re-lit the Menorah (Epstein, 1969, p. 4). After recapturing Jerusalem,
a tiny bottle of oil was found that was used for lighting a Menorah. The oil shouldve only lasted
a day, but managed to burn for eight days. During this holiday, the Jewish people celebrate by
lighting an additional candle each day for eight consecutive days on a Menorah. This festival
serves to remind the Jewish people of their past in order to celebrate the freedoms that they have
in their lives today. A second less important, but very well-known holiday is Passover. This
holiday is mostly known for the Jewish peoples Exodus from Egypt where they escaped the
harsh slavery the Egyptians placed on them. Passover typically involves eating Matzah and
other foodsof the days of slavery and the golden freedom we enjoy today (Epstein, 1969, p.
5). Like much of the other holidays and festivals, Passover is about reflection and remembrance.
It is celebrated in Judaism to remind the people of the freedom they enjoy in their daily lives
while also serving as a time to reflect on their faith through recalling what their ancestors went
through. While Hanukkah and Passover are two of the most well-known Jewish holidays, they
are minor in comparison to the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah, Fast of Gedaliah, and Yom
Kippur.
The Sabbath, as defined by The Routledge Dictionary of Judaism, is the seventh say,
sanctified as a day of rest, on which all work is prohibited. Much like Christianity, Judaism has

JUDAISM: BELIEFS, HOLIDAYS, COMMUNICATION, AND STEREOTYPES

a Sabbath where all work is supposed to cease and all inhabitants of the world are supposed to
rest as God did when establishing the Earth. For Judaism, the Sabbath begins Friday evening
before sundown and runs through Saturday at sundown. There are three ideas that are central to
the Sabbath, the first being God created the Sabbath at the end of creation to rest following a
weeks worth of work. The second idea is that of the Sabbath being the observance of the
relationship between God and his people, also known as the Covenant. Finally, the Sabbath
involves the rest of everyone on Earth, including all humans and animals (Siegel, 1982). Aside
from rest, the Sabbath also entails praising God through worship at the synagogue, having
specialized meals, blessings, and several prayers (Neusner & Avery-Peck, 2004). The Sabbath is
very highly respected and takes a lot of preparation for it to take place. While the Sabbath is
respected, not all Jewish people observe it. According to Derek Gaiser, The Sabbath is a part of
our faith, but it isnt always observed by everyone (Derek Gaiser, personal communication).
This lack of observance was seen primarily in teenagers and young adults, with adults and the
elderly more likely to uphold the observance of the Sabbath. The Sabbath is an important part of
both the typical week and the Jewish beliefs.
No matter what culture or religion is being studied, society always creates a standard, or
stereotype, of what members of that particular culture or religion look or act like. The Jewish
people have their fair share of stereotypes placed on them. One common stereotype of Jewish
females is the Jewish mother stereotype. This stereotype implies that all Jewish women take on
characteristics such as nagging, overprotective, manipulative, controlling, smothering, and
overbearing (Dein, 2013, p. 134). This stereotype may arise from the role that mothers play
in the household, typically working to keep the house functioning and caring for the children.
Another stereotype is that of Jewish guilt. Based on how Judaism is structured and the deep

JUDAISM: BELIEFS, HOLIDAYS, COMMUNICATION, AND STEREOTYPES

rooted tradition of the religion, guilt was established. Guilt typically comes about from actions
that the person takes that they know is wrong (Dein, 2013). Another stereotype of Jews is they
are seen as powerful and manipulative (Schneider, 2004). Often times they are seen as lawyers
and doctors, two professions that involve high intelligence and being assertive or powerful. The
Jewish people often are seen as wealthy and greedy (Schneider, 2004). Doctors and lawyers are
two decent paying jobs that would aid in the desire to obtain and save wealth.
Another example of the greed and anger stereotype is that of Shylock in Shakespeares
Merchant of Venice. Shylock is so overcome by his greed and anger of Antonio that he promises
to cut a pound of flesh from Antonio if his loan in not paid back. Aside from the greed
stereotype, this also labels the Jewish people as ruthless, ill-mannered, and overbearing. This
anti-semantic feeling would persist for centuries, ultimately culminating during the Second
World War in Europe. Much of what happened during that tumultuous time was blamed on the
Jewish people, they were often the scapegoat for events in Germany and throughout Europe
leading up to the war (Nick Willard, personal communication). While anti-semantic feeling was
the highest during the Second World War, this was not the only time those feelings were evident
in Europe. For many centuries before the World Wars, anti-semantic feelings were found
popping up in various countries and cities all across Europe. Many of the negative stereotypes
were a direct result of the anti-semantic feeling that spread throughout Europe like a plague
during the years leading up to World War II and the Holocaust.
While stereotypes dont necessarily need to be negative, most stereotypes end up being
just that. Mentioned above were the malevolent stereotypes most commonly associated with
Judaism. There also exists benign stereotypes which label the Jewish people as financially
successful, ambitious, hardworking, intelligentand able to get ahead (Wilson, 1996, p .465).

JUDAISM: BELIEFS, HOLIDAYS, COMMUNICATION, AND STEREOTYPES

As mentioned above, Jewish faithful are often portrayed as doctors and lawyers, two professions
that have a decent salary and require many years of schooling to earn a degree. There were
various stereotypes that attempt to embody the ideal Jewish person, but ultimately they fail to
even symbolize the majority of those who follow Judaism.
After discovering what the Jewish people believe, what defines Judaism and how the
Jewish people are perceived by society, the types and how communication occurs is evident. The
Covenant, or relationship between the Jewish people and God, can be seen as interpersonal and
intrapersonal communication. There are two distinct entities involved in the conversation that
have a defined relationship, whether that is clearly evident or not, proves there is interpersonal
communication within Judaism. At the same time, much of what is communicated to God occurs
through silent prayer. Silent prayer involves talking to God through thoughts opposed to words
and actions. In a way, silent prayer would be considered intrapersonal communication due to the
fact that the person is speaking to themselves for God to hear. There is small group
communication when the families talk with each other and celebrate the holidays and festivals in
remembrance of the past. Public communication is evident when the Jewish people visit the
synagogue for worship. The rabbi or other clergy deliver a message intended to help the Jewish
faithful learn about their faith and direct them in worship. Various forms of communication were
evident within the Jewish faith after learning about their beliefs, ideals, holidays, and how they
are perceived by society.
Judaism and the Jewish people are often the target of harsh stereotypes due to the unique
communication and set of ideals the religion is based around. Judaism was introduced by
discussing the various beliefs that are shared amongst its followers. The two main beliefs of
Judaism were discussed before mentioning other, more minor beliefs. Similar to most religions,

JUDAISM: BELIEFS, HOLIDAYS, COMMUNICATION, AND STEREOTYPES

Judaism had prayers, holidays, and a holy day of the week known as the Sabbath. The High
Holy days of Judaism are the most important holidays of the Jewish calendar year while
Hanukkah and Passover are two well-known lesser holidays. The Sabbath is the day of rest that
occurs during the Jewish week where prayers and worship are mostly utilized. Stereotypes can
often be misguided and rather harsh and those forced upon the Jewish people and Judaism as a
whole are no exception. While stereotypes are often negative in nature, there are a select few
that are positive. Through examination of Judaism and the Jewish people, one can see that many
of the anti-semantic remarks and thoughts fostered throughout history have little meaning and
dont particularly define the religion as a whole.

JUDAISM: BELIEFS, HOLIDAYS, COMMUNICATION, AND STEREOTYPES

10

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