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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