Zionism
In the years just after World War II, Zionism (the desire to rebuild a Jewish national presence in the Promised Land) became a popular Jewish cause all around the world. Many Jews who were not practicing Judaism at all with religion became involved with the establishment of the State of Israel. Even today, many years after the successful founding of the State of Israel, there are Jews whose only real tie to Judaism is their belief in Zionism and their support for the State of Israel. They are joined by many Jews who are members of synagogues and support a modern Jewish religious movement, but who also find their prime identity as Jews in the Zionist cause.
Broadly speaking, Zionists are proud that a small and struggling state made up mainly of Jews has created a modern democracy out of what were barren mountainsides, near deserts, and mosquito-breeding marshes. Zionists also point with pride at the ability of the Israelis to defend their land against the claims and armies of neighboring Arab nations.
SECULAR JUDAISM
Secular Jews express their Jewish identities in a variety of ways. Some feel attached to the State of Israel, but their Zionist leanings are not a strong driving force in their lives. Some feel a tie to Jewish religion and attend religious services from time to time, often on the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur , but they do not maintain a lifelong membership in a synagogue or temple. Some secular Jews express their identity through study sometimes returning to the study of Judaism in their later years, sometimes seeing study as a way of searching for their roots. Often, secular Jews look for spirituality——sometimes turning to Jewish ideas and practices, even if they never fully return ...
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...ic Judaism than they are in any other Jewish religious group. Unlike the vast majority of Jews in this or any other age, the Hasidim read the Bible as the literal word of God believing, for example, that the world was actually created in seven days. Hasidic Judaism is also cult-like in its demand for complete and blind faith on the part of its adherents who live in small tightly knit, carefully controlled communities.
The Hasidic movement is the smallest Jewish religious group in the world Like many other radical, rightwing movements in the history of Judaism, Hasidic Judaism is probably vestigial——the last gasp of a movement which once brought new vigor to the Jewish world. Ironically, early Hasidism was the exact opposite of present day Hasidism——it set out to be a liberalizing influence in a Jewish world that was itself moving toward the radical religious right.
During the late 1790’s to the early 1800’s the entire notion of Zionism emerged. Zionism is the idea to pursue Judaism, and by doing so they must relocate to the Promise Land, which they chose to be Palestine. It is essential to keep in mind that Zionism is not a matter of judgment because if the Jews did not take such action they would have either had to assimilate to life in Europe (meaning religious views as well) or be killed by Hitler’s forces. The Jewish began migrating to Palestine and residing there and slowly began the process of Zionism with the help of the foolishness of Arabs who owned land in Palestine at the time. The state of Israel was essentially born out of the greed of Arab and Turkish landlords and Zionists plans of coming to existence. The Turkish landlords of Palestine were at the top of the pyramid, ranking as the wealthiest while right below them were the Arab landowners who did not even live on the land but did own villages. The bottom of the...
Late into the 19th century, Zionism (a biblical name for Jerusalem) started to rise when Theodor Herzl published an article that concluded Jewish assimilation and emancipation could not work in Europe. It was this that started plans for the creation of a Jewish statehood. During this time, the population of Jews were spread out across different countries, and in each of these countries, they had represented a minority. Throughout this period, they had longed for a state in which they called Eretz Israel, the land of Israel. Herzl’s proposed solution was for the revival of a Jewish homeland where they could set up a state belonging to themselves. Following his publishings, the First Zionist Congress was held in Switzerland. The program state that “The aim of Zionism is to create for the Jewish people a homeland in Palestine secure by public law”. Much of the Jewish community at this point held mixed views about this movement but it was this time period of the late 19th ce...
Yates, Joshua. “Haredim vs. Secular: Israel’s Internal Culture War and the Fight for Israeli Identity.” In Levitt Fellowship Research, edited by Shoshana Keller, 2-71. Clinton: Hamilton College, 2012.
The position on Zionism and Israel shows one of the major changes that the Reform Judaism has undergone. In the Pittsburgh Platform written in 1885, it displays the first look into what the goals were for the Reform movement. The Pittsburgh Platform states that the movement does not support the idea of a Jewish homeland. The Reform movement has given up on the idea of going back to Israel, and having a Jewish homeland. “ We consider ourselves no longer a nation, but a religious community, and therefore expect neither a return to Palestine…” (Roiter, Urowitz, Zeliger 131). This passage conveys the idea that a Jewish state is no longer needed because they consider themselves no l...
American Jews today identify themselves as Orthodox, Reform, Conservative, or Reconstructionist. These four movements in modern American Judaism are different in many aspects, but one must remember that even though there are differences in the different beliefs of the Jewish movements, that all Jews share a common bond of a history and a destiny. They are one people. These four movements are not considered denominations, but are differing philosophies. Many Jewish religious observances and practices cannot be easily put into a single particular movement because within each movement there is a wide diversity in custom, practice, and observance. These movements range from traditional to liberal and those in between.
The ideas of David, Reuven and other reform Jews sparked new interest in the notion of a Hebrew state in Palestine. Zionism was an idea with a long history, but it starts to involve the characters of The Chosen and picks up intensity after the Holocaust.
Zionism is a political organization that dated back in the Jewish and Judaism history; however, after 1897, Theodor Herzl is said to have redefined it the political Zionism, hence he is referred by historians as the father of political Zionism. From 1870 to 1897, the Hovevei Zion are said to have created the original 20 Jewish settlement in Palestine. Prior to the incident of the Holocaust, political Zionism main objective was to create a Jewish National Home along with a cultural center within Palestine, this was to assist in Jewish Migration; however, following the Holocaust, it changed its goals into formation of a Jewish State, with this objective being realized through the formation of Israel in 1948.
Note the significance each epoch of Jewish history had on the formation of the Jewish people’s identity and religion.
Theodor Herzl is often referred to today as the Father of Zionism, a man known for his role in the establishment of a homeland for the Jewish people. His most famous pamphlet, The Jewish State, inspired thousands of Jewish men and women from across the world, although particularly in Europe, to leave their homes to realize the glory of creating their own homeland in Palestine. While Herzl was originally a believer in the gradual assimilation of German and Austrian Jews into the European cultural world, the growing anti-Semitism within Europe led him to believe that the only solution to Jewish ostracism was the creation of a separate state for Jews in Palestine. Although Theodor Herzl became, over the course of his lifetime, a man who held a crucial role in the creation of a state that Jews across the world could take pride in and refuge from the prejudice they faced throughout the European world, he was never truly a believer in the traditions of Judaism and was primarily concerned with the necessity for the “reformation” of the Jewish culture instead of the founding of a prejudice-free environment.
...thousands of years from times of nomadic tribes to kings that ruled over millions. While the land covered has been vast and the people many, one thing has been a constant in the history of the Jewish people, conflict. The conflict the people of Israel has faced has caused much destruction and horror in the lives of many, however, Israel has turned the history of conflict into a positive light in order to create a nation unified behind it. Israel has created a fast military force that gives thousands jobs both in factories and within the military itself. They have also created an economic system that creates vast productions of quality goods in order to compete with other countries in the Middle East and around the world. Israel has turned the devastation of war and the worries of continual conflict into a constructive action that has kept Israel alive and powerful.
The establishment of the State of Israel was one of the greatest feats in modern Jewish history. However, with the establishment of the state, a new nation was born. Because of this, there was a lot of writing that would describe how new Jews, and old Jews Interacted with each other. In addition, many Zionist writings were written at the time, and people were writing abut the Ashkenazi and Mizrahi Jews. Each of these topics has a tremendous effect on our generation, because they fueled movements that tried to change the views of the Jewish people. In the Story Dr. Schmidt, by Moshe Shamir we find many instances when the author talks about old and new Jews, Zionism, and how he fills the gap between Ashkenazi and Mizeachi Jews.
Judaism tends to focus on the way one acts and exists in the world rather than in a particular belief in a doctrine or creed. The Jewish religion emphasizes faith and belief is only of significance in light of how the individual acts in the world. Judaism...
Hasidic Judaism came into this world around the 18th century. During this time many of the Jewish people sought out a new approach to their Jewish life. Baal Shem Tov is the founder of Hasidic Judaism. He encouraged unschooled and underprivileged people to focus on mysticism and to be more emotional. One must be, “Less focused on gaining knowledge and more focused on feeling exalted”(http://judaism.about.com); this was one of Baal’s main focuses. From that, Hasidic Judaism was created; successors to Baal or a rebbe/rabbi, headed different groups or courts, which were derived from the original form of Hasidism. The United States was introduced to Hasidism through immigration. During the 1940s and 1950s Hasidism flourished, bringing more and more Hasidic courts. Rapid growth of the Hasidic courts, made New York known for having one of the largest populations of Hasidic Jews in t...
Zionism declares that “the Jews are more than a purely religious body, they are not only a race but also a nation” (Berkowitz 376). Theodor Herzl, the father of political Zionism, states, “We are a people- one people.” Both Herzl and Berkowitz have interesting key points about a Jewish State, the Jewish religion in general, and how to solve current issues in the religion. A State is formed by a social contract and is still being created today. Rousseau states, “The conditions of this contract are so precisely defined by the nature of the agreement that the slightest alterations would make them null and void. The consequence is that, even where they are not expressly stated, they are everywhere identical, and everywhere tacitly accepted and recognized.” States are mainly created by a nation struggling with social and political disputes. They are difficult to form because of opportunities for land. For example, most territories form because of breaking off from their mother countries. “We depend for sustenance on the nations who are our hosts, and if we had no hosts to support us we should die of starvation.” Herzl states that Jews have been faithfully repeating Anti-Semite’s words because of unjust accusations and the need to realize that the world is always changing and adding new properties.
Followers of Mendelssohn felt that many of the practices of Judaism were out of place if they were going to be a part of Western Civilization (Hopfe, 191). In 1843, a group of German Jewish leaders decided that it was time to detach modern Judaism from historical Judaism in order to be able to fit in more with modern societies (Hopfe, 191). That decision then became the basis for creating Reform Judaism where Jewish practices changed to “use more vernacular and less Hebrew in their worship; their synagogues were called temples; Kosher food laws were relaxed; choirs and organs were introduced” (Hopfe, 191). Next, Orthodox Judaism is a denomination of Judaism that is most like historical Judaism. Orthodox Jews try extremely hard to keep traditional Jewish culture, resist secularizing elements of modernity, keep Kosher food laws, strictly observe the Sabbath, have men and women on separate sides during worship and both must cover their heads during worship, and speak Hebrew during worship (Hopfe, 194). And lastly, Conservative Judaism is the other denomination of Judaism. In Conservative Judaism, they are similar to Orthodox Judaism however, they distinguish themselves by placing greater concern on the historical and critical study of the Bible and rabbinical material (Hopfe, 194). In their worship, vernacular is used more than Hebrew, they tend to worship on Saturday morning, men cover their heads with the traditional yarmulke during worship, and many of them try to abide by the biblical and Talmudic laws regulating food and observing the Sabbath especially during important religious events in the Jewish calendar (Hopfe,