Running Head: EXPLORING CULTURE ESSAY Judaism ~ Foutrar Vic ANOh vocigd Exploring Culture Besa. Judaism and Societal Views more In cle pry Vincent Corsi tite ? \ University of Kentucky ec In€lvg Societal Wews anc their Aaeeepe on Tudiasn” Ls Just an eampieEXPLORING CULTURE ESSAY 3 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 ideals that Judaism is monotheistic and about an agreement with God are two of the central belief 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 God’s will for his people, providing a set of ideals to which his people should live by. Those ideals include “adherence to law, justice, charity, honesty... monotheism, and piety” (Bodhinatha Veylanswami, 2015, p. 40). Keeping these ideals in mind, the Jewish people are challenged to live their lives while also honoring God’s will. Finally, rounding out the major belief’ 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. a 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 isn't just « “place of * Epstein, 1969, p74, ) if ‘Typically, the Jewish people go to the synagogue to celebrate the Sabbath and other holidays and ‘worship’, it means a house of assembly for all Jewish activities.EXPLORING CULTURE ESSAY 4 festivals, Most notably, the synagogue is a place where most Jewish people can goin order to ‘ossip Go ina omaishes way, aly trough some fon of rye or education (Epsicin, 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 par of every relipion, Judzism has its fair share of holidays and festivals, aimed at remembering and celebrating the past. There ae a series of tree 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 tothe synagogue to celebrate. While atthe synagogue, the Jewish people “blow the shofa, or ram’s hom, to think about God...and to act nobl...during the months to ‘come")(Epstein, 1969, p. 3) Ako 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 Jeader and that they should act according to his will. Through acting upon God's wil, the Jewish people will prosper and the New Year will be great one. The second holiday, The Fast of Gedalich, serves as a memoria! feast day. According to Epstein (1969)pthe fast sa way to remember Gedalizh, a member ofthe House of David who was working for Jewish independence that was assassinated. The High Holy Days, which began with Rosh Hashana, «end with Yom Kippur. Known as the holiest day ofthe year, Yorn Kippur involves prayer, fasting, blessings, and secking forgiveness. Epstein states that “According to tradition, the Fidget teary man, woman, an his ins in he gen Book of Life on Rosh Hashanah and sealed onthe Day of Atonement! (Epstein, 1969, p. 5), The fie of every Jewish person's soul is determined during the High Holy Days and at the end, each person aims forEXPLORING CULTURE ESSAY 5 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 Jevrish 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 Jerse from the Syrian Greeks...they { (Epstein, 1969, p.4).| After recapturing Jerusalem, cleansed the Temple and re-lit the Menorah” a tiny bottle of oil was found that was used for lighting a Menorah. The oil should've 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 socond, less important but very well-known holiday is Passover. This holiday is mostly known for the Jewish people’s Exodus from Egypt where they escaped the ‘harsh slavery the Eayptians placed on them. Passover typically involves “eating Matzah an other foods...of the days of slavery and the golden freedom we enjoy today (Epstein, 1989, p, 5)) Like much of the other holidays and festivals, Passover is about: reflection and remembrance Iris celebrated in Judaism to remind the people of ihe freedom they enjoy in their daily ives 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 4 , ‘The Sabbath, as defined by The Routledge Dictionary of Judaism, Kippur. sanctified as a day of rest, on which all work is prohibited.” Much like Christianity, Judaism hasEXPLORING CULTURE ESSAY 6 a Sabbath where all work is supposed to cease and all inhabitants of the world ate supposed to test as God did when establishing the Earth. For Judaism, the Sabbath begins Friday evening Defies siindowm and rai thrtuigh Saturday at siindown, There are thre ideas that are central'ta 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, th Sta involves the rest of everyone on Earth, including all humans and animals (Siegel, 1982). Aside fiom rest, the Sabbath also entails praising God through worship at the synagogue, having specialized meals, blessings, and several pies eur alee 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 out faith but isnt alvays observed by everyone (Derek Gaiser, personal comnunicaton), | “This Yanko cise wa een pty in onagers anid ong adi, wih aidan tha: 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 ir 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EXPLORING CULTURE ESSAY 7 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 wo 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 Shakespeare's 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, |-manneted, and overbearing. This anti-semantic fecling 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 ofthe anti-semantic feeling that spread throughout Europe like a plague during the years leading up to World War IL and the Holocaust. While stereotypes don’t necessarily need to be negative, most stereotypes end up being Just that. Mentioned above were the malevolent stereotypes most commonly associated wit Judaism, There also exists benign stereotypes which label the Jewish people as “financially successful, ambitious, hardworking, intelligent...ad able to get ahead” (Wilson, 1996, p .465).EXPLORING CULTURE ESSAY 8 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 fo embody the ideal Jewish person, but ultimately they fatl t0 ceven 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 aetions. 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 leaming 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 set of beliefs and ideals the religion is based around. Judaism was introduced by discussing the various beliefS that are shared amongst its followers. ‘The two main belief’ of Judaism were discussed before mentioning other, more minor beliefs. Similar to most religions, Judaism hadEXPLORING CULTURE ESSAY 9 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 Manukkal 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 fer 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 don’t particularly define the religion as a whole. tee. @llates Nex ged ph Escaping festering He male pelts Kren: she Sarbucctew wall wepelsg ep the paper Sibent presently new ifEXPLORING CULTURE ESSAY 10 References The a | Bodhinatha Veylanswami, S. (2015). Nine Core Beliefs of Twelve World Religions and Three Revealing Comparisons. Hindulsm Today, 37(1), 36-41. Retrieved from htp://eds.b.ebscohost. com/chost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer" sid~fB71342a-Afd8-42dc-ad77- ‘91 865F3d0c%d40sessionmerl 1 0&vid~6&hid=113 Dein, $. (2013). The Origins of Jewish Guilt: Psychological, Theological, and Cultural Perspectives. Journal Of Spirituality In Menta Health, 15(2), 123-137. doi: 10.1080/1934953 7,2012,737682. Retrieved from hitp://eds.b bscohost.com/chost/pdviewer/pd viewer sid-800b42ba-1d26-4212-b800- 4621 ccc5846a%A0sessionmagr! I 1&vid~S&ehid=1 13 Epstein, M, (1969). The Jowish Year. All about Jewish Holidays and Customs, Rev. ed., 2-6. New York: Ktav Pub. House. Retrieved from httpsi//books. google.com/books thl“enéelr=&id-hmh7Z7MULOC8:0i-fnd&pg-PA2&d q~Jewish holidayséeots=1iBK ral X8x&sig-DXW IMNQ6cveZNexzB VMOU AgbGPKiV= onepageseq~Jewish20holidays&ef-false Judaism. (2014). Funk & Wagnalis New World Encyclopedia, 1p. 1. Retrieved from hnpy/eds.a.ebscotost.corn/ehost/detail/detail?sid=2an3a024-1843-48bb-b7a0- 656¢ac224776%40sessionmgr400 devid-3&chid=421 0&bdata—JnNpsGU9ZWhve3 QibGI 2ZSZ2¥29WZT zaXRWild=fwnk&AN=JU037800 Neusner, J. & Avery-Peck, A. (2004). Sabbath. In The Routledge Dictionary of Judaism (\sted., Vol. 1, pp. 137-138). New York: Routledge Dictionary. Retrieved from |hutpy/eds.a.ebscohost.com/chost/ebookviewer/ebook/bmx!] ¥mtfXzEwNTISMIAQUA1%si dede7acel8-2762-4778-bb72- deo725£f6?7a@sessionmgr400Sévid~4&hid~421 08eformat-EB Schneider, D. (2004). Jewish Stereotypes. In The Psychology of Stereotyping (p. 461). New York: Guilford Press, Retrieved from http:/books.google.com/books?id-VuHFFpZCz- (QC&pe=PA46 1 éelpe-PAA6 | edq= Jewish materialistic values‘-clannish -dishonest'agg, ressivet businesséh!=ensy=onepage&q=Jewisth%20materialistict420values%20clamnish %420dishonest®20ageressive%Z0business&cffalse Siegel, S. (1982). The Sabbath and Conservative Judaism. Judaism, 31(1), 45. Retrieved from ‘hups//eds.b.ebscohost.com/chost'pafviewer/pdfviewer?sid=88al 2ec1 -d9d5-4041-0346- efe492ae7b3e%4 Osessionmgrl 15 &vid~1 08&hid113 Wilson, T, (1996). Compliments Will Get You Nowhere: Benign Stereotypes, Prejudice, and ‘Anti-Sematism, The Sociological Quarterly, 37(3), 465-479. Retrieved February 20, 2015, from http:/onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111).1533-8525, 1996 xb00749.xiepdt