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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