misconceptions of Judaism. This may seem to be a vague issue, but with further explanation, I promise you will understand. This issue of misconceiving Judaism is expected. We cannot assume that everyone will know about all of our interests. Judaism tends to be a religion that is mixed with race. I found it confusing that an individual assumed and almost even debated with me that Judaism was a race. At this point, my mind was numb to the words being sprayed from his mouth. This is a blatant example of not knowing about every interest. The issue here is the misconceptions of Judaism. This issue is important in drilling down the misconceptions of religions in general. Think about this. We have a room full of
individuals who may have different opinions, but collectively, they all have similar understandings of the areas that they disagree upon. Why do we have misconceptions of religions?
Background
The history of Judaism and Jews is significant in order to understand my upcoming research. According to the Hebrew Bible, God chose Judaists as representatives for the world. To further understand, imagine a Judaist as an Alpha wolf. Betas look upon to the alpha wolves to lead them and form them into matching the prowess of their alphas. This will later result into a beta evolving into an alpha. God chose Abraham as a representative. God wanted a body of people who were prototypes of morality. The act of being and doing well were what God demanded.
The Ark of the Covenant was a kingdom for the Jewish people. This was built through the command of God. It is said that God used this as a source to plan voyages of his interest.
We can go more in depth about the history of the Ark, but what needs to be stressed is the history in the 20th and 21st Centuries. There was a mass immigration of Jews to the US and Britain. This later proved to be a problem as, according to BBC, the population of Jews in Britain increased by 250,00 in 30 years. This breaks the scale of immigration at the time. At the time, finances were not as advanced and as distributable as they are now, and we are lucky enough to be in the position
where we can react if such an influx were to pour into today’s US. The immigration of the Jewish people brought awareness upon the Jews, which later resulted in the involvement of Judaism.
The Jews were on a roll when it came to global awareness. This is fantastic to hear. If one truly wants to bring about a movement of their passions, they mut be willing to go about their ways to create source of awareness. This is simple promotion. They set their eyes on a particular movement however: The Zionist Movement. According to jewishhistory.com, the Zionist Movement included the Jews wanting to return to their original homelands. These are all factors around Judaism. The Zionist movement helped to spread more awareness of Judaism. They were also able to see involvement in Judaism increase steadily. Up to this day, Europe, Israel, and the US are amongst the areas that Judaism is practiced the most. This goes to show that with the willingness to challenge opportunity, there can be a way for a movement of one’s desire to be
Literature review
My objective is to do research on why people come up with the misconceptions that they do about Judaism. The reason I want to conduct this research because I have a personal interest in learning about several ideas in the world. I mean, who doesn’t? I like to Google ideas behind my interests. During my research, I stumbled across a link that showed the misconception that religious
couples are not allowed to use birth control. This is the mindset of someone who is judgmental, or simply lost. Birth control is necessary for couples who are not ready, and for people to balance their physiology. I chose this misconception because the stage that we are in our society, topics tend to be drowned in controversy. I found this misconception while researching and found that this would be a great topic to touch upon. Controversy increases the desire for me to participate in studies because there will be a close to even amount of opposite sides of every question I may have. I read through a few articles to understand the true history of Judaism and Jews. The first topic that tends to jump out to the field is the Holocaust. That information was touched upon earlier, but often, misconceptions arise about those affected by the holocaust. My research is important because I can compare my research to the history of Judaism and Jews. If we compare the misconceptions that we may have of today and in the past few decades, we can see the progress of Judaism as a whole. Misconceptions are unhealthy for our society. We cannot just allow false information to continue to spread. This false information will later melt upon the younger generations. Misconceptions of Judaism are important because ultimately, we are the deliverers when it comes to the youth receiving news and processing them. We fail at our jobs as leaders if we allow our society to continuously spread false information. We must criticize and expose false information. That is how we grow as a society.
“The challenges of Darwinism and biblical criticism to American Judaism.” Mordecai Kaplan did this research. It was an interesting topic about American
Judaism. It would be a bit more of an interesting way of studying if she were to add several other countries in the topic. The article was more fact based. What really stood out in the article was the ability to defend Judaism with the use of stats despite speaking on touchy subjects. What can be taken from this article however, is the relevance. The author touches up on Darwinism and Judaism during the American reform; this lead to American Judaism. The immigration of Jews into America created a field of opportunity for the religion of Judaism. After all, America is a state of freedom. Kaplan noted the controversies behind the immigrants coming into America. It definitely was not an easy task, as the Jews had no idea about how actually living in America would turn out the families needed a new opportunity, a new source of freedom. America seemed to be the great choice. This relates to countless cultures that pour into America up to this day. This trend continued until serious precautions were implemented to “crowd control”. I like the idea behind Kaplan doing research on this history. It relates to today’s troubles. Some of the information provided seemed to be redundant, but overall the areas read seemed to be relevant.
My favorite read so far has to come form The Altantic. Before I continue, picture this: a researcher going on about a study that they seem to have great knowledge about. The researcher goes on until you find a hole in their statement. The hole is their ability to speak, but their speech has no armor. Questions behind facts ultimately wither the defenses of the researcher. If you force some researchers to back their statements up, they are forced to mention facts and how
they find their facts and where those facts were founded. This is a beautiful point. This flaw still exists in the world, as popular news sources with fan bases tend to spew “facts” but when challenged by a formidable opponent, they tend to become frustrated, leading to verbal attacks and disrespect. This point was made as an intro to the article that grasped my attention. Alfred Jay Nock created a 1941 issue regarding “The Jewish Problem in America.” I culminated other research, but his grasped my attention with his introduction. He wanted to point out some of the discrimination that was not being spoken of in America. The discrimination of the Jewish population stirred him the wrong way growing up. He was disgusted y the unwillingness for cultures to want to mix with the Jewish population. This is a common happening within foreign families. It can take years for a family to be accepted, or for them to become used to a new cultural setting. I found his passion to be interesting because, this happens on a daily basis, especially within school settings. A new student finds it difficult to become used to a new setting, but with time, they will be completely fine. That was supposed to be the case. Nock went to touch upon the reluctance behind governments wanting to give minorities opportunities. This article is one that relates to timelines of discrimination. Nock had a genuine distaste for discrimination and I admire that.
Methodology
(1) I chose Brooklyn, NY for my location to study. There are no specific areas in Brooklyn that I would like to research. I figure I do research in as much locations
as possible, with a heavier focus on downtown. I wanted to test subjects in Brooklyn, NY because I wanted a slice of pizza. Now I am asking my family about the social composition of the areas that they live in. For the most part, the areas I have chosen are unique. There are some areas like Bed Stuy that has a great number of Jewish families living there. I would not know the exact amount, but I do see a surprising number of Jewish families. I am used to growing up with Christians or Catholics and not as many Jews. We have cultures and races from all backgrounds. Those are what I adore about Brooklyn. I adore the various cultures, the mouthwatering food, and the city as a whole. We would ball all day in Brooklyn, and then purchase cheap pizza afterwards. The population of Brooklyn as a whole was 2.62 million in 2014. I almost dropped whatever I may have been eating at the time because the number still surprises me up to this day. That number will probably increase steadily due to new businesses continuously being built in every corner of Brooklyn, especially during the summer. This only adds to the “overpopulation” of New York entirely.
(1) I take the MTA quite often so traveling around Brooklyn is as regular as my bodily functions.
(2) I will be working with every community, but mainly in Bed Stuyvesant because of the change that this part of Brooklyn has faced. The area is still compacted with crime rates, but this part of Brooklyn is not nearly as violent as it used to be. There have been over 2,000 counts of burglary this year, and over 1,500 counts of assault in the past year. Dating back to the early 21st century, these
numbers would have been blown out of the water. The area can still be rowdy, but positive change has been diminishing these rates of crime.
I would like to ask people who are at least 18 years of age, simply because I can assume that they are either in the stage of educating themselves of global occurrences and social barriers. I live in Long Island, but I am always in Brooklyn because of family and friends. The community I will be studying will be the communities in various areas in Brooklyn. I see basketball parks as a primary source being that I ball quite often. I figure I ask the same people that I shoot hoops with or the same group of friends that I travel the city with. These areas that I am in are compacted mostly of Latin, Asian, and black decent. Typically that’s what I see on a hot day of hoops, grinding away and focusing on nothing but basketball. My efforts will be natural. It will be another day in Brooklyn for me playing ball or voyaging around the city. It will be easier that way as well.
(3) I plan on creating a room for discussion. This may seem as though it will be difficult and controversial, but my only challenge will be my peers actually showing up for the research. We often have discussions and debates in-group chats or in person at pizza shops, parks on trains etc. I really cherish our friendships because despite us not agreeing on everything, we know that at the end of the day, its all love. At the end of the day, we will still joke around with memes and delve into deep conversations about hobbies of our interest. True friendships are willing to understand differences. I will be taking mental note of every reaction to every question. I will observe who is being the most vocal, and
who is being least vocal. To keep the atmosphere natural, I will dive into the conversation as frequently as I would if it were not a research project. I am also thinking of keeping a notepad in my phone or my backpack to write down any necessary info I may forget. This is the most appropriate method because I feel that it is. The most natural kind of atmosphere is what I enjoy. I despise sitting in areas that lack comfort ability and in an atmosphere where there is undisclosed tension. My circle of friends tends to be straightforward with one another. Some of us grew up together, so we refuse to take certain disagreements to heart. Passerby’s who eavesdrop may be possible restraints. New York has been a state where I know that I will have to keep my voice lowered because people tend to break their necks to listen in on another groups conversation, and then proceed to either agree with their discussions, or rage out in a heated argument with them. The criteria that these individuals must meet are: they must have known me for at least 2 months, or they must have participated in a game of basketball with me at least 5 times. There will be a maximum of 10 participants including me. I can observe my friends every weekend or every other weekend. This will be easy, as I am always in Brooklyn. I will only keep a field log for the days that I go. Each day will have an interesting note if needed regarding any occurrences that may have stuck out.
As mentioned before, my research will contribute a solid ground of productive debates, and consistent learning. A solid ground of productive debates is a location where debates are peaceful despite sides arguing against one another.
There are countless examples of debaters going after each other’s throats, but ending the arguments peacefully. There have also been times when debaters go out of their ways to make the lives of their opponents a living hell. It can be sad to watch. This is not expected to happen, but this is as a possible challenge.
(4) Every or every other weekend I will be conducting a research. From spring break to a few weeks before finals, I will be consistently asking them questions centered on Judaism. The timing is significant. I prefer a consistent schedule because I will perform my research with more production. If those involved with my research see the amount of effort that I put into making them a priority in my research, they will feel more reward by participating in the research. If a client of interest feels that their participation is worth it, their answers will be more genuine and maybe even more interesting. This timeline tallies alongside my other drafts. A specific date has not been set, but I will certainly keep in tab with working on each draft consistently.
Personal Rationale
My sources include online research, advice from peers, and personal opinions. These sources tie well into my research because my questions will mostly be opinion based. Questions that allow one to express their opinions can result in responses one should not expect. I do not expect any specific kind of response; I just expect genuine responses.
My interest in this problem comes form various experiences I’ve had with people, and through research. I find that Judaism is a major religion, but the true
history of it always captures my interest. A removal of millions, but yet a later prominence in modern society shows that the Jewish population were sturdy in their wanting to have their own passions, and wanting to be respected despite their troubling history. I’ve run into numerous professionals and families who have told me the stories of their families and the troubles they went through to being accepted. They suffered through the pains of passed ones, the possibilities of family expansions, and misconceptions. The information I received helped my research a ton. These stories created more ideas for me to research. I began to understand where to find information, how to find them, and when to find them. Stories can create inspiration. I was inspired to do research about the Jewish population and Judaism. I used to be reluctant because of the pains behind their stories, but with maturity, I have been prepared.
From this experience, I will develop social skills, bravery, and research skill. These all come from my wanting to create a controversial and genuine setting within my friends. Luckily, our circle is used to controversy so this will be just another series of conversations to them.