Jewish Identity

“Judaism is unique.”Jewish Identity contains many different aspects: Ethnic Jews, Jewish culture, Jewish Religion, and Orthodox Judaism. It also includes how they portray God, in how they spell his name on websites, books, or movies. Jewish people are defined by God and their community. They are close-knit. Jewish people have many different ideas of what Jewish identity really is. Ethnic Jews is a term that describes someone who was raised from a family of Jews. They do not have to actually practice Judaism, but they still identify themselves as Jewish. People who practice Judaism, but are not born of Jewish heritage can not be referred to as Ethnic Jews. This term can be used to distinguish Jews born of Jewish parents from Jews who joined the religion without any background. Ethnic Jews can still be applied to Jews who are Atheists, Agnostics, Buddhists, or Christians. It does not matter the current religion as long as their parents were Jewish. Culture is a very important part of most societies. Jewish culture is the same way. They have comedy, music, and dance. Jewish humor has been forming for the past one hundred and fifty years. Jewish individuals enjoy the same types of things that regular "Americans" do, such as radio, stand-up comedy, movies and television shows. Most screenplays of American musicals in the 20th century, were written by Jewish individuals. Theater symbolizes finding new identities which is something that Jewish people were and are still desperately craving. Jews mostly migrated from Eastern Europe into New York City. By nineteen ten, Jews were already one fourth of the population. Jewish Artists began to become a part of the city, by showing their artwork to the world, while trying to find themselves. Jewish religious music was frequently sang by a single individual. Dance was a huge part of the Jewish culture throughout the years. They used dance to express love and joy. Jewish Religion is a huge part of their identity. Jewish individuals believe in one God. Instead of having a Holy Bible, such as Christians, they have the Torah. The Torah is the first five books of the old testament. There are 4.3 million American Jews that are a large part of Judaism. 3,440,000 of those 4.3 million have a very lively connection to the Jewish Religion. American Jews are more likely to be Atheists, or Agnostics more than any other religion in the United States of America. However, the sections of Judaism will never intermingle. The sections are tight-knit within themselves, but the different sections will never meet each other. Even if they only live two blocks apart, or on the same street. They take that aspect of their religion quite seriously. “The nature of G-d is one of the few areas of abstract Jewish belief where there are a number of clear-cut ideas about which there is little dispute or disagreement.” God is the basis of their entire religion. The Jewish individuals take God very seriously. So seriously that, in fact, when writing a web page, they will refuse to his name at all. They will type G-d, instead of God. They do this because they are worried that someone will print out the website, and deface the page. This is not okay with them. They refuse to use his name, because they listen to the literal commandment to not take God’s name in vain. God has no gender, according to the Jewish people. This is because there is no gender neutral pronoun in hebrew, so God is just referred to as a he. They do not doubt how God was made, or if he really formed the Earth all by himself. They describe God as eternal, in every single place at every time, holy, perfect, just, and merciful. They recognize that he knows everything there is to know about every individual thing that happens. Education is also highly important to Jewish people. They treasure education as much as they treasure religion. During the Holocaust, they would still be educated about many different subjects. Jewish people strive for the highest positions, because they are hard-working individuals. They all realize how important education is and strive to be the best that they can be. They are usually leaders, because they dedicate themselves to the task before them.
Some Jewish Holidays include Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur. All Jewish Holidays begin the evening for the date specified on the calendar because a Jewish day begins and ends at sunset. Rosh Hashanah literally means ‘head of the year,’ or first of the year. It lasts for two days, or in some places only one day. They cast off their sins into the river. Basically in with the new, and out with the old. “The Holy Bible refers to this day as Yom Ha-Zikkaron (the day of remembrance).” Nobody is able to work on Rosh Hashanah. It usually occurs in September or October, just like the new school year.
“In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and you shall not do any work, for on that day he shall provide atonement for you to cleanse you from all your sins before the Lord.” -Leviticus 16:29-30. Yom Kippur is a day that the Jewish people can think about their sins, and try to make them right. They can only fix the sins between themselves and God, but not between themselves and another person. No work can be performed on this observed, Jewish holiday. It is a 25-hour fasting holiday, which all Jewish people will celebrate. They must wear white the entire day to symbolize being pure and clean before God. “There is a separate prayer book just for this day called the machzor.”
Jewish individuals have many different things that define them. They are defined by their parentage, their God, holidays, their culture, how highly they value education, where they live, and how they act.

Bibliography (I cross-referenced everything on Wikipedia.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthodox_Judaism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservative_Judaism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Jews#Participation_in_civil_rights_movements http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Jews#Religion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secular_Jewish_culture#Literature.2C_media.2C_and_performing_arts http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secular_Jewish_culture#History http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_Jew#Ethnic_and_cultural_perspectives http://www.orthodox-jews.com/#axzz2NuORxLsr http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/Hasidism.html http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/g-d.html http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday2.htm http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday4.htm Holy Bible (The first five books of the old testament) http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday4.htm Works Cited http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/g-d.html http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday2.htm http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday4.htm Holy Bible (The first five books of the old testament)
http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday4.htm