Conservative Judaism

Jewish religion was based on the ancient Israelite religion. The Jews were different from other people during that era because they only believed in one God. They worshipped their God like everyone else with sacrificial offerings of animals at their temple. The Jews only had one temple in Jerusalem, which had only two rooms. One room was for sacrifices, and the other room was always empty because there was no idol to representing God of Israel. All Jews believed they were chosen by the one God…

Even so, Harmon, 32, who grew up in a Conservative Jewish home in Westchester County, N.Y., and took a Birthright trip to Israel in his mid-20s, admits that some viewers might find the play’s title incendiary. He said he received a bit of hate mail from people who had not seen the play during its…

I chose to write about the queer theologians, Jo Hirschmann and Elizabeth Wilson, because I appreciate their emphasis on the importance of intersectionality and moving beyond “identity politics.” As someone who was raised in a Christian household, I find their perspective from the viewpoint of Jewish theologians very interesting, but I think their main ideas can be applied to any religion or faith. Their piece from Queer Jews, “Next Year in Freedom! Taking Our Seder to the Streets”, aligned with…

Brief Background Jonathan Lopatin is a former Partner and Managing Director of the Goldman Sachs Group, who retired in 2000, following Goldman’s IPO the previous year. “Jon” had been with Goldman for sixteen years and was a manager of its foreign exchange sales and trading business. He was a colleague, (and friend) of Eric Dobkin. He is also a Jewish scholar having graduated with an MA in Talmud at the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2009, an activist who has served on many Jewish…

Is it necessary to know the author in order to fully understand his/her story? The question is answered through the example of Chaim Potok’s life. The Chosen is one of Potok’s most famous works, for both its eloquent writing and its addressing of pressing issues for Jewish people. Chaim Potok, in his novel, The Chosen, alludes to aspects of his own childhood, education, and career to reveal and further characterize both Reuven Malter and Danny Saunders. The life of Chaim Potok is one which can…

Written by Chaim Potok, The Chosen takes place during significant moments in world history. The Chosen begins at the end of World War II in Williamsburg where it was heavily populated by Jews in 1940s. Throughout the book, The Chosen includes various actions in 1940s related to political situations in the world at that time. Those events are not mere backdrops but contribute significantly to plot and content. Among them, there are five significant historical events that influence on Malter’s and…

blended in like the ‘Zelig” character of the cinema. Their attitude was, “We will pay taxes. Leave us alone.” Shtetlach were governed by The Council of the Four Lands – Great Poland ;( Posen); Little Poland (Cracow; Red Ruthenia around Lemberg and Volhynia, now North-west Ukraine). The Jews of Poland formed a nation within a nation. After In 1764 the Polish Parliament (Diet) dissolved the Council of Four Lands, Kahillas (decentralized Councils) replaced them as its judicial, religious, and…

opposition of the believed Pharisees V.5 In the first century some of religious group like “believing” sect of the Pharisees were converted and accept Jesus as their personal savior. Even though, they converted to Christianity but they were very conservative for the laws of Moses or Torah. This verse (v.5) speaks about the believing Pharisees who belonged to the party of Pharisees. They argue for the need of circumcision and the necessity of keeping the law as Carter and others explained the…

raise their children” (Imhoff). So as you can see, it could go either way. Something to keep in mind is that interfaith means different things to different sects within Judaism. According to Interfaithfamily.com, a website supporting interfaith couples exploring Jewish life and inclusive Jewish communities, the Orthodox and Conservative sects do not consider the children of Jewish fathers and non-Jewish mothers Jewish. However, the Reform sect considers children Jewish if they have one Jewish…

Introduction The Second Temple period is a remarkable time in history. To gain a full understanding of the New Testament, one must thoroughly explore the political and religious background of this time period. Prior to the Second Temple period, the Hebrews were in captivity under Babylonian rule. This captivity dispersed the Hebrews among many locations with major effects upon the people, including social, cultural, and religious. Although the majority of the Hebrews would never return to…