Culturally Bound Practices: Jewish Symbolism

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We are surrounded by symbols in our everyday lives. From traffic signs to the American Flag; from corporate logos to our alphabet, they are everywhere and we unconsciously discern much from them. Directions when driving, where to eat, how to act socially and much more are derived from these symbols. Wanting to explore religion’s use of symbols and how they are used in directing spiritual thoughts and actions I decided to investigate a Jewish worship service and the surroundings. Being unfamiliar with the faith, I would approach the situation as a participant observer, hoping for an emic view of the religion. The Jewish faith has many icons, symbols and furnishing that have great meaning to believers; these items help direct them and their actions in daily life.

I attended a Jewish worship service on Friday evening, April 25th, 2014 at 7 pm in Lawrence, Kansas. The building is a modest one, square looking with steel siding. From the architecture it appears to have been built in the nineteen sixties or seventies. It sits on a double lot just off of Ninth Street surrounded by a few trees and well groomed lawn. A parking lot is situated to the north and west of the building. I enter on the west side of the building at the main entrance; it was just a couple stairs down to the lower level and a full flight of stairs up to the second floor.

I will begin with objects and furnishings used for imagery. It should be noted that Jews do not worship the icons themselves but what they stand for; the embodiment of God and his messages. As I already stated Jewish belief and action are assisted by different icons and some of these are quite powerful. For the people of Jewish faith the most sacred icon is the Torah, a scroll o...

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...n just a short time. The Jewish faith has many icons and symbols; in objects, furnishings, actions and clothing, all assisting them in maintaining their feeling of kinship, ethnic identity and arête; the humble striving for piety. No matter what type of belief, religions rely heavily upon symbols to convey their message and to guide actions of the believers; they also serve as a physical outlet for the worshippers to connect. Mankind through the years has often expressed a desire to use some form of religious belief to help make sense of the mysterious and unknown, to provide order amid a chaotic world. By believing in a higher power, many people are more able to withstand hardships and sorrow and to express joy and thankfulness.

Works Cited

Judaism 101 www.jewfaq.org/signs.htm

Jewish Virtual Library www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/ark.html

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