Judaism Modernization In America Essay Example For Students

Judaism Modernization In America Essay The Jewish way of life has been affected in a tremendous way by the people ofthe United States of America. By the time of the signing of the Declaration ofIndependence, there were only 2500 Jews in America. For forty years beginning in1840, 250,000 Jews (primarily from Germany, Hungary, and Bohemia) entered thiscountry. Anti-Semitism and economic woes in Eastern Europe went from bad toworse after the pogroms of 1881-1882. Almost three million Eastern European Jewsleft between 1881 and 1914, two million (85%) of which decided to come toAmerica, where they thought the streets were paved with gold. Theywere wrong. Because of this intercontinental migration, the socialcharacterization of Jews in America changed drastically. Before the move, thelargest group in the early eighteenth century were the Sephardic Jews. Theylived in the coastal cities as merchants, artisans, and shippers. The Jews whopredominately spoke German came to America over 100 years later, and quicklyspread out over the land. Starting as peddlers, they moved up to businesspositions in the south, midwest, and on the west coast. New York City had 85,000Jews by 1880, most of which had German roots. At this time in American history,the government accepted many people from many different backgrounds to allow fora diverse population; this act of opening our borders probably is the origin ofthe descriptive phrase the melting pot of the world. These GermanJews rapidly assimilated themselves and their faith. Reform Judaism arrived hereafter the Civil War due to the advent of European Reform rabbis. Jewishseminaries, associations, and institutions, such as Cincinnatis Hebrew UnionCollege, New Yorks Jewish Theological Seminary, the Union of American HebrewCongregations (UAHC), and the Central Conference of American Rabbis, werefounded in the 1880s. America was experimenting with industry on a huge scale atthe time the Eastern European Jews that arrived. Their social history combinedwith the American Industri al Age produced an extremely diverse and distinctAmerican Jewry by the end of the intercontinental migration, which coincidedwith the start of the Great World War (World War I). Almost two out of everythree new immigrants called the big northeast municipalities (such as the LowerEast Side of New York) their new home. They would take any job available tosupport the family, and they worked in many different jobs which were asphysically demanding as they were diverse. The garment district in New Yorktoday was made from the meticulousness, the sweat, and the determination of theJews. Low pay, long hours, and disgusting working conditions characterized theaverage working day. Labor unions fought for these workers rights andeventually won. There are stories of men in the Lower East Side of New York whostarted to sell rags from a cart, and slowly moved up the ladder in time to runa small clothing shop. Like other Jews in America at this time, they sacrificedthe Sabbath to work during it, b ut it was for the good and the support of hisfamily. The 1890s saw the birth of many Jewish-oriented charities were organizedto raising funds for medical and social services, such as Jewish hospitals andJewish homes for the aged. The American Jewish Committee was formed in 1906 toattempt to influence the American government to aid persecuted Jewishcommunities overseas. Bnai Brith, a Jewish fraternal society, was set up in1843 by German Jews in America; in 1913 it instituted the Anti-Defamation Leagueto combat anti-Semitism. Today the ADL combats not just anti-Semitism, but alsoracism and other discriminants. Furthermore, The Bnai Brith Hillel Foundationhas put together Hillel Houses at major college campus throughout the country toensure that Jewish college students get an adequate religious experience. .uc05c987c1366dfec994e099c6a829224 , .uc05c987c1366dfec994e099c6a829224 .postImageUrl , .uc05c987c1366dfec994e099c6a829224 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uc05c987c1366dfec994e099c6a829224 , .uc05c987c1366dfec994e099c6a829224:hover , .uc05c987c1366dfec994e099c6a829224:visited , .uc05c987c1366dfec994e099c6a829224:active { border:0!important; } .uc05c987c1366dfec994e099c6a829224 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uc05c987c1366dfec994e099c6a829224 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uc05c987c1366dfec994e099c6a829224:active , .uc05c987c1366dfec994e099c6a829224:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uc05c987c1366dfec994e099c6a829224 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uc05c987c1366dfec994e099c6a829224 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uc05c987c1366dfec994e099c6a829224 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uc05c987c1366dfec994e099c6a829224 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uc05c987c1366dfec994e099c6a829224:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uc05c987c1366dfec994e099c6a829224 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uc05c987c1366dfec994e099c6a829224 .uc05c987c1366dfec994e099c6a829224-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uc05c987c1366dfec994e099c6a829224:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Inspire For Sleep Apnea Cause And Effect Essay Anti-Semitism in America did not become widespread until the turn of thecentury. Anti-Semitism follows Jews around; it is not part of a community unlessJews live with them in that community and the gentiles dont want them there. Jews were informally ostracized from clubs and resorts, and were denied entranceto colleges and other institutes of higher learning. Moreover, it was a commonpractice to not employ Jews in particular professions and basic industries. Between World War I and World War II the United States placed limits on thenumber of Jews allowed in per year. Zionism, the movement formed by Jews to getthemselves to a land that they can call their own, had a definite impact onAmerican Jewry during Zionisms times of development and execution. AmericanZionism was affected by German and East European Jews coming to America.. Although the small membership of the American Zionist movement was almostcompletely East European at first, many of its leaders came from the olderGerman group. By 1915, Zionism began to attract prominent American-born figures,such as Louis D. Brandeis, who is most famous as being the first Jew to serve onthe Supreme Court. Brandeis and his associates added a distinctly American noteinto Zionism, rejecting the belief that the diaspora was a form of exile, andalso that Zionism tried to address the dangerous problem of dual loyalty forpatriotic Jewish Americans. For Brandeis, American and Zionist ideals reinforcedeach other. The occurrences of intermarriage (a Jew marrying a gentile) was notonly extremely rare in the first generation of American Jews, it was alsounheard of and rarely talked about. Today, love commonly crosses the borders ofreligion; intermarriages are common. Although divorce is allowed by the Jewishreligion, it also happened once in a blue moon in those times. In Amer ica today,every other marriage ends in a divorce. The parents tried to push their childrenfor them to have a better life (i.e., material wealth), a better job, and abetter education than they themselves did. The primary reason for this is so theparents would know that their children could adequately support them in old age. Today, the curve has changed. This happens on a much lower rate, andthe chances that it happens again (on the same scale the first generation ofAmerican Jews) is slim; todays economy is but one reason of many why this willhappen. Back then, only the husband worked and the universal middle-classexpectation of the wife was to stay at home and tend for the children. Ifthe wife had to work even part time during seasonal times of the year thenit shamed the family into thinking that the husband was not a good provider. Today it is not uncommon for both parents to work, and usually neither parent isashamed that both work to (simply) support the family; usually they are bothemployed such that the family can enjoy a higher standard of living. Furthermore, the advent of womens liberation has made it possible for morewomen to go out into the work force. Keeping Kosher is yet another issue thathas changed over the generations of American Jews. My mother and father, bothJews, grew up in the 1950s and 1960s, and my mothers family always kept kosher. Today, as a Jew, I have never kept kosher in my life, with the exception ofcertain holidays, and when my rabbi was watching me. Finally, the last issuewhich is a part of the Jewish-American generation gap is the Yiddish language. .ud2b57d83c7ac970b0b1011105f2e0706 , .ud2b57d83c7ac970b0b1011105f2e0706 .postImageUrl , .ud2b57d83c7ac970b0b1011105f2e0706 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ud2b57d83c7ac970b0b1011105f2e0706 , .ud2b57d83c7ac970b0b1011105f2e0706:hover , .ud2b57d83c7ac970b0b1011105f2e0706:visited , .ud2b57d83c7ac970b0b1011105f2e0706:active { border:0!important; } .ud2b57d83c7ac970b0b1011105f2e0706 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ud2b57d83c7ac970b0b1011105f2e0706 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ud2b57d83c7ac970b0b1011105f2e0706:active , .ud2b57d83c7ac970b0b1011105f2e0706:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ud2b57d83c7ac970b0b1011105f2e0706 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ud2b57d83c7ac970b0b1011105f2e0706 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ud2b57d83c7ac970b0b1011105f2e0706 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ud2b57d83c7ac970b0b1011105f2e0706 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ud2b57d83c7ac970b0b1011105f2e0706:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ud2b57d83c7ac970b0b1011105f2e0706 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ud2b57d83c7ac970b0b1011105f2e0706 .ud2b57d83c7ac970b0b1011105f2e0706-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ud2b57d83c7ac970b0b1011105f2e0706:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Juvenile delinquency and religion EssayParents spoke Yiddish often, but not to the children. They only spoke it to eachother if they did not want the kids to understand what they were talking about(i.e., marriage problems). However, because the parents did not choose to havetheir kids learn Yiddish, they may have contributed to the generation gap. Today, Yiddish is dying rapidly. Yiddish theater in New York is but one of a fewremaining areas in America that still speak the language. Today, as a Jew, Ihave never heard a Yiddish sentence only a few words here and there, likeschlemiel and zoftig and even then I am still unsureof their true meaning in the times when it was spoken freely. Scholars havepredicted the extinction of the language by 2040 AD, or 5800 on the Jewishcalendar. America has also been an influence on new kinds of Judaism. MordecaiKaplan founded the Jewish Reconstructionist movement in America in the early1900s. In 1917 he led a shul which incorporated a broad realm of cultural andrecreational activities. Five years later, he formed the Society of theAdvancement of Judaism, which believed that worship was only one of many issuesa congregation should address. His book Judaism as a Civilization called for areconstruction of Jewish life. The Jewish ReconstructionistFoundation (now the Federation of Reconstruction ist Congregations and Havurot)issued new liturgical texts in the 1940s and 1950s, and it opened theReconstructionist Rabbinic College in Philadelphia in 1968. It is an evolvingand organic kind of Judaism, which is constantly adapting itself to the needs ofthe community and the society it serves. Judaism today, largely because of theAmerican hustle-and-bustle contemporary lifestyle, is just a religion instead ofa way of life. We are now in a period of time where many options are presentedon how to be Jewish going to shul, observing the holidays, sending yourchildren to learn about the Jewish ways of life, belonging to temples and Jewishorganizations (i.e., Havurah, an attempt to revive Judaism in small socialgroups) instead of what was only one way to be Jewish. No central idea holdsit together. Theres really no one common way to be Jewish anymore.