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Jewish History

Classical Judaism

  • 66 CE: Jewish War to overcome Romans

  • 70 CE: temple in Jerusalem was destroyed

  • 600 CE: Islam comes to power

    • Diaspora: dispersion; Jewish people having to live away from their ancestral homeland

    • Own land at the crossroads of many major empires and have been conquered by many groups

Medieval Judaism

  • 700s-1700s CE

  • Lived under Muslim rule in Spain and Africa and Christian rule in Europe

    • Under Muslim regime

      • Relative peace and prosperity

      • Still faced harassment, assault, rape

    • Under Christian regime

      • Great economic success as bankers

      • Accused of starting black plague, killing Jesus, killing Christian children

      • Often harassed/murdered by mobs

      • Forced conversion

        • Viewed as a “dangerous influence” to others

      • Physically tortured

  • Jewish movement in Europe

  • Idea of genocide predates the Holocaust and Jewish history

  • Despite persecution, Judaism is thriving

Philosophy and Mysticism

  • Moses Maimonides (1135-1204)

    • Wrote The Guide to the Perplexed

    • Created the 13 Principles of Faith

      • Belief in the existence of God

      • God’s unity

      • God’s spirituality and incorporeality

      • God’s eternity and timelessness

      • God alone should be the subject of worship and prayer

      • Revelation through God’s prophets

      • The preeminence of Moses among the prophets

      • God’s law was given on Mount Sinai

      • The immutability of the Torah as God’s Law

      • God’s foreknowledge of human actions

      • Reward of good and retribution of evil

      • The coming of the Jewish Messiah

      • The resurrection of the dead and human immortality

  • Kabbalah: a belief that the best way to know God is through the heart and through love

    • Developed in Spain in the 1200’s

    • The Torah can be interpreted on multiple levels

    • Alternative to traditional Judaism

Modern Judaism

  • Hasidism: pious Judaism which emphasizes mysticism, a personal relationship with Yahweh, and a close community (focus on following Zaddik rather than studying Torah)

    • Zaddik: a charismatic holy person

    • Zionist: the belief in re-establishing a Jewish homeland by reclaiming the ancient Jewish ancestral homeland (modern-day Israel and Palestine)

      • Since 1948, the state of Israel was recognized by the international community and the term refers to those who support Israel

        • British Empire technically owned the area which would become Israel and gave it to Jewish people following international pressure after the Holocaust

      • Believed to be needed because of anti-semitism

      • Anti-Semitism: sentiment against Jewish people deriving from attitudes, exclusion, violence, and/or death

  • Holocaust: the persecution of Jewish people by Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945

    • Resulted in the deaths of 6 million Jewish people in Europe

    • More than exile, inquisition—anything that’s been faced before

    • Shook the faith of many Jewish people; common questions included

      • Why did God let this happen?

      • Some saw it as a punishment for abandoning tradition

      • Some thought God broke his covenant

    • One great response—Victor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning

  • State of Israel

    • Jews emigrated to Israel before WWI

    • Was part of the Ottoman Empire

    • The League of Nations in 1922 recognized the need for a Jewish homeland

      • Many international treaties before and after reaffirmed this

    • This land was already occupied

    • Palestinians and Jews both claim the land as their homeland

      • Very complicated conflict

      • Many countries declared war on Israel

Modern Divisions of Judaism

  • Reform: Jewish people adapt to modern society

    • Relaxed observance; speak English

    • ~1/3 of Jewish people in the US

  • Orthodox: follow the Torah

    • Often live in separate communities

    • Very strict

  • Conservative: somewhat open to change, but still fairly strict regarding practices of liturgy and law

    • Eg. follow the Sabbath

    • Middle ground between other two branches

Torah

  • Because you believe, you follow the law/Torah and act accordingly

  • Daily life is governed by the Torah

    • Permitted, forbidden, obligated, free, holy, profane (remember Islamic Sharia Law)

  • Prayer

    • Takes place three times a day

    • Yarmulke: a skull cap, sign of respect for God

      • Reminder that God is above you

      • Worn after Bar Mitzvah

    • Tallit: prayer shawl

    • Tefillin: small boxes with scripture in them

  • Home and Synagogue

    • Worship takes place primarily in the home

    • Mezuzah: parchment in a decorative case which designates the home as Jewish

    • Food is to be Kosher

      • Don’t eat pork, shellfish, any combination of meat with dairy

    • Synagogue is huge since there is no temple

      • Friday night is the Sabbath (time of rest)

    • Services are led by Rabbis (religious leaders)

      • Rabbi: one who has mastered the Talmud

Jewish History

Classical Judaism

  • 66 CE: Jewish War to overcome Romans

  • 70 CE: temple in Jerusalem was destroyed

  • 600 CE: Islam comes to power

    • Diaspora: dispersion; Jewish people having to live away from their ancestral homeland

    • Own land at the crossroads of many major empires and have been conquered by many groups

Medieval Judaism

  • 700s-1700s CE

  • Lived under Muslim rule in Spain and Africa and Christian rule in Europe

    • Under Muslim regime

      • Relative peace and prosperity

      • Still faced harassment, assault, rape

    • Under Christian regime

      • Great economic success as bankers

      • Accused of starting black plague, killing Jesus, killing Christian children

      • Often harassed/murdered by mobs

      • Forced conversion

        • Viewed as a “dangerous influence” to others

      • Physically tortured

  • Jewish movement in Europe

  • Idea of genocide predates the Holocaust and Jewish history

  • Despite persecution, Judaism is thriving

Philosophy and Mysticism

  • Moses Maimonides (1135-1204)

    • Wrote The Guide to the Perplexed

    • Created the 13 Principles of Faith

      • Belief in the existence of God

      • God’s unity

      • God’s spirituality and incorporeality

      • God’s eternity and timelessness

      • God alone should be the subject of worship and prayer

      • Revelation through God’s prophets

      • The preeminence of Moses among the prophets

      • God’s law was given on Mount Sinai

      • The immutability of the Torah as God’s Law

      • God’s foreknowledge of human actions

      • Reward of good and retribution of evil

      • The coming of the Jewish Messiah

      • The resurrection of the dead and human immortality

  • Kabbalah: a belief that the best way to know God is through the heart and through love

    • Developed in Spain in the 1200’s

    • The Torah can be interpreted on multiple levels

    • Alternative to traditional Judaism

Modern Judaism

  • Hasidism: pious Judaism which emphasizes mysticism, a personal relationship with Yahweh, and a close community (focus on following Zaddik rather than studying Torah)

    • Zaddik: a charismatic holy person

    • Zionist: the belief in re-establishing a Jewish homeland by reclaiming the ancient Jewish ancestral homeland (modern-day Israel and Palestine)

      • Since 1948, the state of Israel was recognized by the international community and the term refers to those who support Israel

        • British Empire technically owned the area which would become Israel and gave it to Jewish people following international pressure after the Holocaust

      • Believed to be needed because of anti-semitism

      • Anti-Semitism: sentiment against Jewish people deriving from attitudes, exclusion, violence, and/or death

  • Holocaust: the persecution of Jewish people by Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945

    • Resulted in the deaths of 6 million Jewish people in Europe

    • More than exile, inquisition—anything that’s been faced before

    • Shook the faith of many Jewish people; common questions included

      • Why did God let this happen?

      • Some saw it as a punishment for abandoning tradition

      • Some thought God broke his covenant

    • One great response—Victor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning

  • State of Israel

    • Jews emigrated to Israel before WWI

    • Was part of the Ottoman Empire

    • The League of Nations in 1922 recognized the need for a Jewish homeland

      • Many international treaties before and after reaffirmed this

    • This land was already occupied

    • Palestinians and Jews both claim the land as their homeland

      • Very complicated conflict

      • Many countries declared war on Israel

Modern Divisions of Judaism

  • Reform: Jewish people adapt to modern society

    • Relaxed observance; speak English

    • ~1/3 of Jewish people in the US

  • Orthodox: follow the Torah

    • Often live in separate communities

    • Very strict

  • Conservative: somewhat open to change, but still fairly strict regarding practices of liturgy and law

    • Eg. follow the Sabbath

    • Middle ground between other two branches

Torah

  • Because you believe, you follow the law/Torah and act accordingly

  • Daily life is governed by the Torah

    • Permitted, forbidden, obligated, free, holy, profane (remember Islamic Sharia Law)

  • Prayer

    • Takes place three times a day

    • Yarmulke: a skull cap, sign of respect for God

      • Reminder that God is above you

      • Worn after Bar Mitzvah

    • Tallit: prayer shawl

    • Tefillin: small boxes with scripture in them

  • Home and Synagogue

    • Worship takes place primarily in the home

    • Mezuzah: parchment in a decorative case which designates the home as Jewish

    • Food is to be Kosher

      • Don’t eat pork, shellfish, any combination of meat with dairy

    • Synagogue is huge since there is no temple

      • Friday night is the Sabbath (time of rest)

    • Services are led by Rabbis (religious leaders)

      • Rabbi: one who has mastered the Talmud

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