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Pouya Keshtgani (4341723)

Final Exam

SRS3314A - Judaism Dr. Rebecca Margolis

University of Ottawa

December 12, 2012 QUESTION: Using material from the whole course, compare general concepts of Jewish identity (religious, ethnic, national): what are some of the ways in which Jews formulate their Jewish identities? Then address the role(s) that Israel plays in Jewish identity with direct reference to: Theodore Sasson, et al., Understanding Young Adult Attachment to Israel: Period, Lifecycle and Generational Dynamics, Contemporary Jewry 32 (2012): 67-84. Many people to this day still do not have an agreement on what is the Jewish Identity. Depending on whom you ask regarding this identity you will be get a wide variety of answers regarding Who is Jewish?, what does Jewish mean?, and who gets to be called Jewish?. This is due to the issue of the division of the Jewish religion from one single branch into multi branches. In order to answer the question of Jewish identity, we must look into the ways in which Jewish heritage forms that identity image. One thing that is clear, Jewish Identity refers to the way in which that Jews see themselves in the society they live in, their external world, and connection to Jewish heritages. In order to understand Jewish identity the first question that must be asked is Who is Jewish? Based on our class discussion in order for the person to be recognized as Jewish, he or she has to be born from a Jewish their mother under the Conservative or Orthodox Judaism or either parents under the Reform Judaism. It must be noted that under the Conservative or Orthodox Judaism even if the mother has converted to another religion they children are still are recognized to be Jewish, and this Jewish

identity stays with them throughout life even if they don't practice. While there are those who have converted to Judaism, while their Jewish identities are viewed based on how they are identified and connected to the community. The question of religious identity of a born Jewish comes down to how the Jew relate to Judaism as a way of life which is predefined by the Torah. Jews use the laws of the Torah as their guide for how to live and go about their everyday lives. These laws includes but not limited to observance, keeping kosher, praying, and any other matters that are important to a Jewish life. While there are people who are less religious in Judaism, they still follow the same guide with exception how their synagogues are structured in their services. For example those in egalitarian synagogues will have men and women sitting in the same common area without any separation, while in non-egalitarian synagogues men and women are seated separately and are separated by a wall or Mechitza. Since Jews themselves do not view Judaism as a race or ethnicity, it becomes difficult to answer, what does Jewish mean? In order to answer such question one must look into Jewish cultural surroundings within their community. The cultural identity that forms that the idea of Jewish is based on the customs and lifestyle the community is involved in. Since Jews have been in exile since the Sixth Century BCE, the idea of Jewish identity has shifted due to the raise in different ethnic groups such as Ashkenazi, or Sephardi within Judaism. Furthermore with their immigration to other part of the world; Russia, Australia, USA, and other countries, their identity recognition has been lost as there is no clear distinction of who hold the true Jewish blood. Due to these shifts Jews have begun to consider their identities based on a cultural identity

through Jewish history, customs, food, language, lifestyle, and music instead of an ethnicity. Therefore we can conclude that Judaism is not a race, as Jews do not share one common ancestry. For example as Ashkenazi Jews and Sephardic Jews are both hold a Jewish Identity, but Ashkenazi Jews were raised out of Europe (mostly from Spain) while Sephardic Jews are from the Middle East (mostly from Iraq). Finally in answering the question, who gets to be called Jewish? on the national identity level, it is not possible to answer such question as Judaism is not a nationality. Since the raise of Zionism in nineteen century and the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, being Jewish has not turned into a nationality identity since Jews have be in exile for over two thousand years which has lead into, Jews being born with different nationality identities. While being held together in exile by a common language, destiny, land, and Israel. While many believe that Israel plays important role in the Jewish identity, Theodore Sasson research proved that to be otherwise. According to Theodore Sasson the political conditions of Israel does not relate with the Jewish identity. Based on the survey results he could not conclude whether the current generation of Jews will form a strong attachment for the Israel, due to emotion feeling of being in exile or sense of being different from the rest of society. Furthermore he states that connection between the Jewish identity and Israel all depends on political conditions and choices within and outside of Israel. This argument was based on the fact that the emotional attachment to Israel was high during the 1996-1997 terror bombing and Second Intifada during 2000-2004. While during the periods of 1998-1999 and 2005-Present

there has been decrease in the emotional attachment. Therefore he concludes that the attachment to Israel for current or previous generation all depends on whether there is a political condition going on in Israel. Therefore we can conclude that Jewish identity is rather a cultural and religious identity. Being Jewish means that you are part of the Jewish people by being born into a Jewish home even if you do not observe any of the commandments, and culturally identified as Jewish by the practices that you perform. A Jewish identity is not matter of lifestyle, rather is the connection to the Judaism that bring one closer to the creator.

Word Count: 929 Words

1. Using material from the whole course, discuss different approaches to religious observance among Jews in contemporary life. Then offer a comparison of Haredi observance as discussed in the following two readings: a. Maya Balakirsky-Katz, "Trademarks of Faith: "Chabad and Chanukah in America," Modern Judaism 29:2 (2009) 239-267. b. Dan Mendelson Aviv, The Haredi World Wide Web, Zeek: A Jewish Journal of Thought and Culture, June 21, 2012. http://zeek.forward.com/articles/117584/

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