Personal Narrative: How Religion Has Changed My Life

1588 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The effects of religion

Manytimes one hears the words “and it changed my life forever,” or something to that effect; these words seem to be a bit overused and may have lost their meaning for some. So when I heard them from Jon, I must admit that even though he is a friend, I was a bit dubious.

Jon claimed that at the age of about thirteen a major change occurred for him. This change dealt with the religion Jon was born into, Judaism. This was the faith that his parents turned to at the age of twenty andbrought into the family after there had been no religious beliefs in the familylineage for quite a while, the religion in which his mother was Orthodox andhis father a rabbi.

This change began the morning Jon woke uplate, on purpose; cut off his waist-length red-orange payots, thetresses of hair behind the ears that unmistakably distinguish Orthodox maleJews from all other males; and went into the main hall of the religious dorm,in Israel, where his Jewish Orthodox …show more content…

He went from staying at one person’s place to another, from little oddjobs to little odd jobs while finishing high school. Overall, Jon stayed with hisfather while contact with his mother and brothers dwindled.

In November 1997Jon was drafted into the Israeli military. He mentioned this as another turning point in his life, something thatlet him continue on the “good” path of life. Jon was a superb soldier, excellent enough to be among the top tenduring training. He later became a 1stSgt., eventually leading his own group of boys through basic training. He was also awarded two medals of heroism,both for rescuing people under fire. After his mandatory three years, Jon was personally asked to stay anextra year, which he

Show More
Related

  • History and Function of the Bar Mitzvah

    1423 Words  | 3 Pages

    Oxtoby, Willard Gurdon. "Jewish Traditions." World religions: western traditions. 1996. Reprint. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 2011. 127-157. Print.

    Read More

  • The Life of Rabbi Joseph Baer Soloveitchik

    1696 Words  | 4 Pages

    Golden and Sarna. "The American Jewish Experience in the Twentieth Century: Antisemitism and Assimilation, The Twentieth Century, Divining America: Religion in American History, TeacherServe, National Humanities Center." The American Jewish Experience in the Twentieth Century: Antisemitism and Assimilation, The Twentieth Century, Divining America: Religion in American History, TeacherServe, National Humanities Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2014.

    Read More

  • The Fall And The Rise Of The Jewish South Analysis

    1144 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Eli Evan’s The Provincials and Stuart Rockoff’s piece “The Fall and the Rise of the Jewish South” the reader looks at the changing life and times for people of Jewish ancestry in the American south. Since the 1950’s, the Jewish south has experienced rife anti-semitism, a demographic shift as small town populations significantly decreased while large cities grew, and social change due to the civil rights movement.

    Read More

  • Assimilation of Jews in the Interwar Period

    1384 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the interwar period of the twentieth century, Jewish immigrants and American born Jews faced increasing ant-Semitism and discrimination. The external pressure of anti-Semitism and discrimination led to many Jews facing internal anxieties and conflicts about being Jewish and fitting into American society. Assimilation during this period meant fitting into the white gentile majority’s standard of appearance, mannerisms, and middle class ideals. Common stereotypical images from the time depict Jews with large noses and curly hair, women were often portrayed as dominant over their Jewish husbands, and Jews were often seen as manipulative, controlling, and money grubbing. Jews’ limited social acceptance came on by completely abandoning their Jewish identity and avoiding falling into stereotypical images, which was often impossible. These external pressures and internal anxieties did not make assimilation difficult, they made it impossible. Therefore, assimilation only existed as a term and not as an achievable reality. Although many Jews tried to assimilate during the interwar period, they could not because assimilation was only an illusion, a fallacy that no Jew could achieve.

    Read More

  • YENTL, The Bashevis Singer

    676 Words  | 2 Pages

    To truly understand “YENTL,” requires a knowledge of Orthodox Judaism as practiced in the shetls (villages) of pre-World War II eastern Europe, as well as Isaac Bashevis Singer.

    Read More

  • Resisting the World: Hasidic and Amish Life

    2785 Words  | 6 Pages

    The most fascinating branches of a religion are often the most extreme, the most different from the mainstream denomination. Two such groups are Hasidic Jews and the Amish, a sect of Christianity. Shown a picture of a member of one of these sects, the average person would not be able to identify to which group he belonged. However, though “their shared style of dress does indeed reflect shared values of piety, extreme traditionalism, and separation,” these groups are extremely different(“A Brief Introduction”). Beyond the obvious difference of ideology in that Hasidism is based in Orthodox Judaism and Amish tradition in Christianity, to say nothing of the diverse groups within these separatist umbrellas, there are stark differences in origins, beliefs, practices, and the way that each group interacts with the secular world.

    Read More

  • Seventeenth Century Jewish Individualism

    1590 Words  | 4 Pages

    The seventeenth century not only marks an important era in Jewish history, the arrival of Jews in the New World, but it marks a shift in Jewish ideology as well. Traditionally, in the Old World prior to the Inquisition, Jews did not live as individuals but rather as a part of a social network or community that worshipped together, studied together, at times lived together, and had the same set of beliefs. During, and for sometime after the Inquisition, some secret Jews were part of an underground community but other secret Jews chose not to be part of any Jewish community, secret or not, out of fear. It was not until the seventeenth century that there was a conscious break in the tradition of being part of a community and some Jews chose the path of individualism, because they were dissatisfied with the confines of their current Jewish community or they were forced to abandon their community and worship individually. When Jews began to move from the Old World to the New World they were forced with the challenge of figuring out how they were supposed to practice Judaism when there was no current Jewish framework in place. When Portuguese Jews arrived in the New World they were forced to live outside of the traditional community because there was no Jewish community to greet them in New Amsterdam. In the seventeenth century, it was not the norm for a Jew to live outside of the Jewish community, but it was possible; one’s willingness or necessity to live outside of the community depended upon one’s geographical location, fear, or personal convictions.

    Read More

  • Orthodox Judaism and Southern Baptism

    1113 Words  | 3 Pages

    "Orthodox Juadism." Jewish Virtual Library. The American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise, n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2014. .

    Read More

  • The Emergence of Two Types of Jews in America

    1984 Words  | 4 Pages

    If one were to ask a New York resident in the 1950’s how many people he or she would expect to be living in New York sixty years from now, he would most likely not say 20 million. Among those 20 million, it is even more unfathomable that an estimated 1.7 million Jews reside within New York City, making New York home to over a quarter of the Jews living in America today . Amongst those Jews however, how many of them consider themselves religious? Seeing that only an estimated 10 percent of Jews today classify themselves as observant, how and when did this substantial dispersion occur? The period post World War II in America presents the many different factors and pressures for Jews arriving in America during this time. Although many Jews believed America would be the best place to preserve and rebuild Jewish presence in the world, the democracy and economic opportunity resulted in adverse effects on many Jews. The rate of acculturation and assimilation for many of these Jews proved to be too strong, causing an emergence of two types of Jews during this time period. Pressures including the shift to suburbanization, secular education into professional careers, covert discrimination in the labor market and the compelling American culture, ultimately caused the emergence of the passive and often embarrassed ‘American Jew’; the active ‘Jewish American’ or distinctly ‘Jewish’ citizen, avertedly, makes Judaism an engaging active component of who and what they are amidst this new American culture.

    Read More

  • Creative Writing: Going To War

    1469 Words  | 3 Pages

    A big "celebration" dinner was planned for John's going away. All of his family and close friends came to enjoy good food and fellowship before leaving in the morning. His parents were to drive him to the airport where he would fly to the army base. The same base his father trained at many years ago. John's father was proud of his son, but also a little concerned, for he realized the seriousness of this war.

    Read More

  • Transition from Christianity

    1431 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many religious followers today would classify themselves of “Christian” theology and adherence. If there was a phenomenon that diminished Christian teachings to inaccuracy and abolished its presence from civilization there would be several alternative religions to consider. Of the other four major religions that we have covered this semester it would be a close race to decide which belief system would be the best substitute to prior knowledge taught about Christianity. It would be difficult to forget years of information that Jesus is the Son of God and choosing another religion would have to have some representation of Christianity. The decision has to compare the pros and cons of each alternative between Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and Islam. Doing so provides a template that proves there would be no definitive winner between the four. If another religion had to be chosen besides Christianity it would be a close decision but Islam would edge out the others slightly.

    Read More

  • Personal Writing: Fragment - Changes In Life

    1142 Words  | 3 Pages

    experiences that have changed my life in one way or another and I'm sure that

    Read More

  • Comparing All Quiet On The Western Front, The Wars, and A Farewell To Arms

    2875 Words  | 6 Pages

    ...not only something as drastic as a war that may cause one to re-examine his outlook on himself and his life. There are many events in life that will prompt one to question his sense of self. The result may be a personal revelation, or the opposite. In any case, it is through these events that a man is shaped and discovered. These changes are evident not only through the world that created the man, but also through the man who experiences the world.

    Read More

  • Diaspora Essay

    1391 Words  | 3 Pages

    ... will of others and in harmony with the spirit prevailing in the worlds of others (The Core of the Matter: 54). Gordon argues that the Jewish people’s natural growth and self-realization has been hampered by alien and extraneous influences (Some Observations: 377). As the Jews has been pushed away from the primary creative processes, and forced to live under constant pressure and influence of foreign cultures, they have eventually lost the distinctive, external signs of identity, social structure, language and lifestyle, and become dependent on others materially and spiritually, leading them to have an inanimate existence, lacking in national creativity (Our Tasks Ahead: 381). This life has made the Jews passive and submissive; they no longer act upon or influence others, but are merely acted upon and influenced by others (The Work of Revival in the Diaspora: 78).

    Read More

  • How Does Religion Affect My Life

    478 Words  | 1 Pages

    My religion affects the way I live in several ways. First, because of my religion, I care about everyone. Secondly, I do not believe in abortion, which is killing live human beings inside a woman’s stomach because I am Catholic. Third of all, because I am catholic, I believe in God and Jesus and that they are the only people that can perform miracles.

    Read More

More about Personal Narrative: How Religion Has Changed My Life

Open Document