Discussion Responses Required

Discussion Board 1: Judaism

Liberty University

Tanita Stewart

BUSI 604-B14

Key Term and Why You Are Interested in It

For this week’s discussion board I chose the key term of Judaism. The reason that I am interested in this particular topic is because it resembles Christianity is some aspects. The concept of religion is something that is often discussed with great detail amongst my family. There are several (approximately 10) pastors and ministers in my family. So there are many occasions when religion is discussed at family gatherings. To present a different perspective and have a lively debate about a subject that many can find intimating is something that I enjoy doing. Also being able to present a different perspective on the subject of religion allows for a greater understanding of religion as a whole.

Explanation of the Key Term

Judaism is a monotheistic religion which believes that the world was created by a single, all-knowing divinity (Satterlee, 2014, p. 47). It is a religion that is an expression of God’s will to the Children of Israel, the Hebrew Bible is their religion doctrine and there are approximately 13 million individuals practicing the religion worldwide. The Torah is the most holy Jewish book; it consists of the first 5 books of the Hebrew Bible. The Torah gives individuals the rules for their everyday lives, and it important that people observe these rules. Judaism is practiced in a place of worship called Synagogues and is lead by a Rabbi, the Sabbath is observed from Friday evening to sunset on Saturday. During the Sabbath individuals are supposed to focus on family and God while not conducting work of any kind. The major holidays are Pesach (Passover), Rosh Hashanah (the New Year), Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), and Hanukkah (the Festival of Lights).

Major Article Summary

In the article Modern Orthodox Judaism by David Ellenson, it discusses how orthodox Judaism has evolved in America over the last 200 years. The article was written by David Ellenson, however, it is edited by Zev Eleff. It is divided into three parts. In the first part, “Orthodox Judaism and the Modern American Experience,” he appropriately placed the nineteenth-century origins of Modern Orthodox Judaism in the context of contemporaneous struggles between Reform and traditional Judaism (p. 402). The purpose of was to address the critiques of the reform allegations. It also addressed the teachings of traditionalist leaders and rabbis such as Abraham Rice and Bernard Illowy. They discussed things like the need to teach and educate traditional rabbis on how to counter the Reform Rabbis that the Hebrew Union College produced. All of these discussions and teachings were to help set the stage for the coming battle between the Conservative Judaism and Modern Orthodox Judaism.

In part 2 “The Contest for Modern Orthodox Judaism,” it features documents that reflect assimilation temptations that millions on Eastern European Jews would face when they immigrated to the America in the 1900s. In this section it is discussed how individuals who were more Orthodox insisted on keeping their traditional observations even though they wanted to blend into the American culture. In this book it defines the characteristics of Modern Orthodox Judaism, which is broken down into three parts the private domestic, public institutional and organizational realms. Also discussed in the document was the forbidding of men and women sitting together in a synagogue.

In the third part “A Modern Orthodox Movement,” it shows how modern orthodox becomes an established force in the American Jewish culture. It discusses schools and summer camps that are turned into training grounds for thousands of Orthodox Jews that are loyal to Jewish law and teaching several things such as responses to trends and pressures. The entire document discusses many sensitive topics such as birth control and divorce.

Discussion

How the cited work relates to your above explanation and how it relates specifically to the content of the assigned module

Modern Orthodox Judaism discusses a number of topics that are addressed in the Orthodox Jewish community. It breaks down the different types of Judaism that are currently in observance in America. When I originally chose this topic I understood that there were individuals that studied the Jewish faith and then there are those that are considered Orthodox Jews. Even though I knew of their separate existence I didn’t fully understand that the history of Judaism and how the two different denominations came to be. With the added knowledge it enabled me to understand that every religion has the ability to grow and adjust to their surroundings and there are going to be individuals who want to hold onto the traditional aspects of the faith. The evolution of the two different factions of the faith, as well as the different teachings that individuals learn throughout their lives is fascinating. Every religion is evolved over time and it is something that is very personal to each individual. The more that an individual learns about a different faith, it can lead to a better understanding and empathy for all.

b.) How the cited work relates to the other 4 works you research

Modern Orthodox Judaism fits into the other works that I researched because it helps to build onto the other works. Judaism by Sufrin is like Modern Orthodox Judaism because it is an anthology of works that was edited by David Biale. It discusses different topics such as secular laws, feminism, and the history of the Jewish faith. In this work the works for women and men are dispersed throughout the work, to show a project in comparative religion with an emphasis

on what practitioners of a faith do rather than what they believe (Sufrin, 2017, p.16). In the remaining works Occupy Judaism, Progressive Judaism in France, and the Return of Liberal Judaism to Germany they discuss how Judaism has evolved in different countries around the world. They also discuss how the religion has evolved with the changing times. Occupy Judaism discussed how individuals of the Jewish faith were able to protest while still observe within in their faith. OJ (Occupy Judaism) was both a physical protest and a virtual one. Sieradski along with others used digital media to organize Jewish ritual performances in Zuccotti’s public square (Fader and Gottlieb, 2015, p. 761). In Progressive Judaism in France and the Return of Liberal Judaism to Germany, they both discuss in detail the Jewish faith and how it evolved throughout time. Progressive Judaism this work relates to Modern Orthodox Judaism in that it focuses more on the Reform aspect of Judaism. With these works they build onto a religion and provide a different perspective.

All of these works together help to build a comprehensive view of Judaism. It’s evolution in the US, France and Germany; the differences between a Reformed Jew and an Orthodox Jew, and the support as well as the critiques of the traditional ways.

References

Berkowitz, S. (2016). Progressive Judaism in France. European Judaism, 49(1), 19+. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=vic_liberty&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA450361795&sid=summon&asid=12890a6e645bef357061c206f1db16cc

Ellenson, D. (2017). Modern Orthodox Judaism: A documentary history. American Jewish History, 101(3), 401. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&u=vic_liberty&id=GALE|A500970686&v=2.1&it=r&sid=summon

Fader, A., & Gottlieb, O. (2015). Occupy Judaism: Religion, digital media, and the public sphere. Anthropological Quarterly, 88(3), 759-793. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/docview/1704386823?accountid=12085

Muhlstein, J. (2016). The Return of Liberal Judaism to Germany. European Judaism, 49(1), 44+. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=vic_liberty&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA450361797&sid=summon&asid=801ae641194f43a2495239604bdfcb90

Satterlee, B. (2014). Cross border commerce: With biblical worldview applications (2nd ed.). Roanoke, VA: Synergistics, Inc. ISBN: 9781934748121.

Sufrin, C. E. (2017). Judaism. Religious Studies Review, 43(1), 15-17. doi:10.1111/rsr.12780. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/doi/10.1111/rsr.12780/epdf