My Jewish Identity in Conflict
When I think of my "cultural identity," my religion--Judaism--comes to mind first and foremost. When I think of my Jewish identity in conflict, racism (in my case "anti-Semitism") is the obvious factor. But to fully define my conflict with my religious identity, I cannot only write from personal experiences with racism. I must also include the anti-Semitism that my forefathers have endured, from the beginning of time up to today, ranging from the Spanish Inquisition to the Holocaust, from the massacre at the Munich Olympics to Iraq's actions in the Persian Gulf War. From direct racism and intended hatred to subtle racism in the form of jokes and passing comments, anti-Semitism has played a big part in my life, and a huge part in the history of my religion.
From the beginning of time, Jews have been oppressed. Dating back to the times of Moses and on until the 15th century with the Spanish Inquisition, the Jewish people have been prosecuted solely because of their religious beliefs. Their courageous battles over time against their oppressors merit much admiration.
Perhaps the Jewish people's greatest tragedy ever is the Holocaust of World War II. In Nazi Germany and throughout Europe in the 1930's and 40's, Jews were branded with yellow arm patches of Jewish stars. They were sandwiched onto boxcars--literally stacked on top of one another--and deported to concentration camps, where the old, the women, and the children were systematically murdered upon arrival. At liberation in 1945, over six million Jews had been killed in these inhumane concentration camps. Somehow, the Jews survived through Adolph Hitler and the Nazis to persevere. But discrimination continued. In 1972 at the Olympic Ga...
... middle of paper ...
...ver hate someone because of their religion, or race, or creed, or descent. It is wrong, and I will never do it. I don't hate Palestinians; I hate their government and their cruel methods of what they call "freedom-fighting" (what most call terrorism). I don't hate Lebanese people; I despise their leader and his slaughterous ways. I used to stand up for my Judaism only in certain times, when I wouldn't feel embarrassed. Now, when my religious identity is challenged, I proudly stand up for my Judaism, defending my heritage at all times.
We are taught never to forget. Forgive, but do not forget. Once these historical tragedies are forgotten, they will repeat themselves in disastrous, deadly fashion. It can be stopped. It must be stopped. It's up to each person to do their part. I'm just trying to do mine. A little piece of the puzzle, but each little piece counts.
Anti-semitism originates back to the Middle Ages, when Christians believed that Jews were responsible for the death of Jesus. They were also accused of the ritual murder of Christian children in what were called blood libels. The main idea of racial anti-semitism was developed and presented by a philosophist named Joseph Arthur de Gobineau, explaining that the Je...
Throughout history, Jews have been persecuted in just about every place they have settled. Here I have provided just a small ...
Graff, G., Birkenstein, C., & Durst, R. K. (2009). Fat as a Feminist Issue. "They say/I say": the moves that matter in academic writing: with readings (pp. 202-203). New York: W.W. Norton & Co.
One of the most devastating blows to the Jewish people was the rise of anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitism was based on Christian anti-Judaism: “The deicide accusation, the supersession myth, the supposed moral turpitude and deserved punishment resulting from the rejection of Jesus Christ as the Messiah, as well as economic be...
The process started when the Nazis established the “Ministry for popular enlightenment and propaganda” on March 11th 1933, with Joseph Goebbels sworn in as head of the ministry on March 13th. The sole purpose of this establishment was to enfor...
Now, when considering one wants to prevent or treat Osteoporosis, it does not mean to cut yourself off of foods with small portions or extreme dieting. It is a common misconception that when a person wants to be healthy they must eat in smaller portions, and while this does have some truth, one must consider when it comes to eating healthy, it means to eat healthy by adding nutritious portions of fruits, vegetables, protein, carbs, and of course, calcium intake for the bones in one’s diet. Also, one must not deprive themselves of having a “cheat day” once a week with chips and candy. But it is a good start to begin adding calcium fortified foods and supplements, such as milk. People should at least aim for 1,000 to 1,200 milligrams a day of calcium. Low-fat cheese, milk, yogurt, orange juice, graham crackers, and calcium supplements are a beneficial contribution in accessing calcium to the body (Vander, 2003). Of course, Osteoporosis develops during old age, due to the gradual decline in exercising, calcium in bones, and weight loss. However, Osteoporosis is also genetically found in some people with a long history of family members who have had bone fractures. Also, many factors affect and can cause Osteoporosis and one of them is smoking. Because smokers have poor lungs, it can be difficult to exercise. Another is not going out too much,
The domination of the mass media by Josef Goebbels and the Nazi regime corrupted the German ideals through the spread of misinformation. Goebbels was appointed the Minister for Propaganda and Public Enlightenment in 1933 after Hitler’s rise to Chancellor and was responsible for all propaganda spread throughout Germany. The Reich Chamber of Commerce was set up, again in 1933, and was Goebbels first act to centralise and control Germany’s media. The majority of media in Germany was privately owned and it was decreed that all individuals and enterprises involved in media had to join in order to publish work. Nazi party members were allowed membership whilst all Jews, Communists and Socialists were denied; this brought forth the majority rule, effectively preventing minorities from representing their views in the media whilst removing their issues away from the public eye. As Hitler stated “by the skilful and sustained use of propaganda, one can make a people see…an extremely wretched life as paradise”. By preventing the public from hearing their views and by presenting ‘undesirable’ people negatively, Goebbels managed to dehumanise Nazi enemies and through this separation allowed Germany’s people to believe that their wretched life could really be a heaven.
Everyone is different and that is what makes the world a wonderful place, at least one would think. But 1944 and 1945 German folks called Nazis discriminated against anyone that was different from them. Nazi soldiers made people feel less o f a person, all because they believed in different faiths. In the story The Night written by Elie Wiesel, a holocaust survivor he tells of the dehumanizing ways of the Nazi soldiers and how they made Jews feel less of a person day by day. Jewish people were at the very top for being different; they were hated by the Nazis. It was believed that everything bad that ever happened were the Jews fault. They went through unfair treatment just because of their religion.
[3] Mauro Santos, et. al. (2003) Origin of Sex Revisted. Origins of Life and Evolution of the Biosphere, 32, 405-432
For thousands of years, women have struggled under the domination of men. In a great many societies around the world, men hold the power and women have to fight for their roles as equals in these patriarchal societies. Florence Nightingale wrote about such a society in her piece, Cassandra, and John Stuart Mill wrote further on the subject in his essay The Subjection of Women. These two pieces explore the same basic idea, but there are differences as well. While they both recognize its presence, Mill blames the subjection of women on custom, and Nightingale blames it on society. These appear to be different arguments, but they may be more similar than they seem.
Mill, a supporter of utilitarianism, argues that greater equality for women would bring the greater good to both individuals and to the entire society. Political education for women would redirect the focus onto the common good of the society and avoid the potential issues stated previously. In the same manner that family-centered viewpoints affect how the entire society operates, Mill explains that the family structure must change in some ways in order to mirror the values that society should have, such as equality and individuality...
Mill, for example, wrote no one can really know “the nature of the two sexes, as long as they have only been seen in their present relation to one another” (170). While it is true women were denied the same privileges as men, emphasizing the idea such that women could be intelligent if they got the same education implies women must be intelligent in order to be respected and treated the same as men. However, Truth fought back against this notion by arguing, “What’s [intellect] got to do with women’s rights or negro rights? If [her] cup won’t hold but a pint … wouldn’t you be mean not to let [her] have [her] little half-measure full?”
Pollar, Odette & Gonzalez, Rafael. (2011). Dynamics of diversity: strategic programs for your organization. Boston, MA: Crisp Pub Inc.
John Stuart Mill, in his essay The Subjection of Women, makes a daring exclamation about the position of women in society. He wrote this piece with the hope of opening other's eyes to the same conclusion he felt all of his life, in regards to equality.
Barak, M. E. (2005). Managing diversity: toward a globally inclusive workplace. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications.