Judaism is a cultural group that is based in many of the same beliefs as Christianity, and is one of the oldest existing platforms for religion in history. The religion is a monotheistic belief system centered around God and his revelations to Moses, Abraham, and an assortment of hebrew prophets (Novak, D. 2019). Similar to most religions the belief in a higher entity remains at the core of their practices as an omnipotent ruler. The study of Judaism while different in many micro ways remains the same on a macro level as most monotheistic religions harboring many similar beliefs. The premise of this paper is to understand how these differences define an entirely different religion, but how the similarities make it capable to relate to them despite those differences.
To begin with, the concept of Judaism lies in the utmost belief in God, and the notion that the prophets of particularly Moses and Abraham interpreted the word of God effectively telling the story of the lord through the Torah (BBC. 2014). “The universal goal of the Jewish people has frequently expressed itself in messianism – the idea of a universal, political realm of justice and peace,” (Novak, D. 2019). Abraham is widely regarded as the first jew or where the religion began, similarly to the concept of Christ (PBS. 2002). While the idea of a messiah is different than some religions, most follow some sort of savoir and understand their sacrifices for the greater good. Jewish people have very firm beliefs around their prophets and how their saving is more of a result of these individuals taking action through god rather than god himself. As well, many of their lessons are based in many pivotal events in history that a singular person was able to overcome. Moses a prophet within the jewish religion is regarded as saving the slaves from Egypt, and helping them escape captivity from a cruel king (Bernard, J. 1992). It is interesting how in Judaism there are multiple “saviors” each for a separate large event, whereas in Catholicism/Christianity there is a single savoir entity that being Jesus Christ. This is an essential difference as the prophets in Judaism serve the same purpose as Jesus in the subsets of Christianity. They each were messengers of God, but the Jews do not believe they are somehow descended from god or of godly spirit more of chosen forces to work in the name of the lord. The teachings of Judaism begin to differ spectacularly when it comes to the belief in who saved their people as a whole. Christianity’s fundamental belief is that Jesus Christ (son of God) sacrificed himself for the betterment of the people freeing them from sin. In Judaism they do not believe that Jesus completed full prophecies to become the messiah (PBS. 2002).
There are three major religions that are regarded as the core monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. As they were all born in the middle east they share many similarities, and have disseminated to their respective countries over time (PBS. 2002). While unfortunately this is one of the largest and oldest religions they have received a great deal of persecution throughout history. The Jews have faced obstacles beginning as far back as the medieval ages where they accused Jews of murdering Christian children to use their blood in the making of passover bread (History. 2018). One of the most obvious and extreme examples of anti-Semitism is the Nazi party and their quest to “purify” Germany and eventually the rest of the world. This spawned from popular belief in Germany that the Jews had something to do with their defeat in World War 1 (History. 2018). The Holocaust proved to be one of the most atrocious abuses of power and most disgusting example of persecution based on religion. Unfortunately, the problems still continue and in fact have grown since world war 2 in the Middle East. The issues over the control of Palestine, and the banishment of Palestinians from their homes have caused major anger towards the Jewish people as a whole (History. 2018). Such extreme anger has led to the fleeing of many Jews from the North African and Middle Eastern regions leading to those that practice being less explicit about their religion.
It is estimated that Judaism has a following of roughly 13 million people around the world (BBC. 2014) with the United States and Israel having the bulk of that population. Unfortunately the Holocaust as previously mentioned had a devastating death toll of around 6 million Jews virtually wiping out most of the Jewish population in Europe. Jewish worship takes place in synagogues and is unfortunately becoming less and less practiced as the continued persecution takes a toll on the religion. The culture of Judaism is very important and centered around family and the growing as a person. There are several rights of passage much like in Catholicism you have conformation, Jews practice “Brit Milah” which is celebrated at a boy’s eighth day of age and when he assumes his name (BBC. 2014). As well, another huge milestone occurs at a boy’s 13th birthday (Bar Mitzvah) and a girl’s 12th birthday (Bat Mitzvah) (BBC. 2014). As well there are several holidays dedicated to the religion, and a different version of Christmas (Hanukkah). Although, depending on how strict one practices Judaism sometimes Christmas (Dec. 25th) is celebrated as well. The culture has survived so many pivotal moments in history and continues to fight for its role in the world. Children and families that fought through the Holocaust continued to fight for a place in specifically American society looking for belonging in a world full of hate (Furman, J. 2017). Unfortunately, the culture seems to have received tremendous backlash and faces a great amount of stereotyping around the world. For instance, the idea that Jews are good with finance is probably one of the oldest concepts that the culture has faced (MJL. 2002). There are many places that have certain sections dedicated to Jewish owned and operated businesses, for example, the Diamond District in New York City. The idea that Jews are good with money is part of the reason they faced so much persecution in Germany. Adolf Hitler was able to convince the German population that the Jews were manipulating the market in order to make themselves wealthier (MJL. 2002). As well, the common idea that Jews typically have a bigger nose is another distinct stereotype that follows the Jewish culture. While specifically the business and physical feature stereotype seems to be the defining factors its the culture’s high literacy rates and push for academic achievement that makes them so successful in the business world (MJL. 2002). Dating as far back as the 1700’s where philosophers like Karl Marx singled out the Jewish population for popularizing the capitalistic market concept (MJL. 2002). This stereotype has followed the culture and defined them as a part of the community, but ultimately there is a lot more that makes up the Jewish people than simply being successful entrepreneurs.
The religious ceremony I was able to attend at the First Congregation Sons of Israel Synagogue in St. Augustine offered a lot of insight into how the religion operates different than the Catholic sermones I am accustomed to. Unfortunately, a lot of the prayers were recited in Hebrew which proved to be very difficult to understand (First Congregation Sons of Israel). It is interesting how much of an outsider you can feel like by simply attending another religious service. Much like Catholicism which is presented in Latin, Judaism has Hebrew as it’s signature language greatly distinguishing it from other religious. While Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are supposed to be closely related it’s quite a different experience to attend a ceremony where entirely different prophets and events are worshipped. While I knew the sacrifice of Jesus Christ was a huge center piece of Christianity, it didn’t hit me how much his presence was spoken about in church until I attended the ceremony at the synagogue. The prophets previously mentioned (Moses, Jeremiah, and Abraham) particularly Moses are greatly focused on and their interpretation of the Lord’s word. As well, their seems to be a strong message in self accountability rather than blind faith in the word of God. The principle of the service I had the opportunity to attend pushed the idea that individuals need to take action in order to make things happen in life. I feel like this is slightly different than the services taught in a Catholic church where a trust in God is strongly preached and accepting that things happen in life. Many of the basic stories that I have read about Jewish history revolve greatly around large groups of persecuted individuals being rescued by a single selected person.
In terms of dressing and practices I was very nervous about being in another place of worship than what I am typically used to which led me to sit in the back and observe. I noticed that most people dressed somewhat proper not completely casual but in a polo and slacks or a dress for women. Much like any other church there are Torahs available for people attending the service which I had the chance to look over. As well, the prayers while I did not understand many of them I gathered are very different than a typical Christian worship. As well, it is interesting to see that the respect for the church in terms of dressing somewhat formal stays the same. In a typical Christian based or Catholic church theres is a typical required level of dress which was observed in the synagogue as well opposed to something more laid back like a contemporary non-denominational church. This experience further helped me realize not to make obdurate judgements about other cultures and religions. While Judaism is vastly different than the religion I practice the partisionors are no different than anyone I run into at church. I feel like this experience also helped me gain more knowledge on a religion that isn’t widely understood making more capable of interacting and understanding someone who is Jewish. On top of understanding another religion the whole event and all the research that came with it was very eye opening as even though there are many differences in my own religion and that of Judaism there are also some similar fundamental beliefs. I realized I was probably somewhat closed off/ close-minded to the whole idea of attending another religious service as my whole family practices Catholicism. The service helped bring some light to a culture that I did not understand and had only opinions on based off wildly incorrect stereotypes. I also had the opportunity to interact with the Rabi and gain the understanding that he is also just another messenger of God looking to instill further knowledge and help people lead a better life. In terms of being able to communicate with people of other cultures better, obviously, any opportunity to further your knowledge of a different origin will help in making that ability better. This specific event will definitely help me in understanding someone who practices Judaism and even give me something to talk about in a conversation if one arises. While at first I was sceptical of the entire project and not sure how it would really help me in furthering me as a cultural professional I am so happy that I had the experiences I did. There is nothing wrong with gaining more and more knowledge and this will encourage me to continue to reach outside of my comfort zone. As well, I feel as though I have learned to not make hasty observations/judgments of individuals just because they have different beliefs. While they may not believe in Jesus Christ as the son of God they are still kind people that really only have the best intentions for themselves and others.
28.2.2019