Social and Historical Developments - Shaping Jewish Identity

Question 1

What are the three types of Jews?

Answer 1

• Sephardic
• Ashkenazi
• Mizrachim

Question 2

What are Sephardic Jews?

Answer 2

• Southern Europe (Spain, Portugal) and Northern Africa
• typically under Islamic rule
• there was less segregation and oppression
• influenced by Arabic and greek philosophy and science

Question 3

What are Ashkenazi Jews?

Answer 3

• Northern Europe (France Germany) and Eastern Europe
• emigrated in the mid 1800s
• language is Yiddish
• in Christian lands, tended to be isolated
• most African Jews are Ashkenazi

Question 4

What was the life like pre-Diaspora?

Answer 4

• covenants (Mosaic, Abrahamic)
• promised land is in both covenants
• revealed Torah

Question 5

What are some key events leading to the Diaspora?

Answer 5

• Herod help build the Jerusalem Temple
• Titus invaded Jerusalem
• destruction of 2ND Temple

Question 6

Who was Johanan ben Zakkai?

Answer 6

Faked his own death avoid persecution, founded an academy and an all authoritative body

Had a vision Vespasian would be Emperor

He had decisive influence over the continuation and development of Judaism’s traditions

Question 7

When was the destruction of the temple?

Answer 7

70 CE

Question 8

What changes were made after the destruction of the temple?

Answer 8

• Seder at Passover moved to the synagogue
• Rabbinic Ordination – use of Mishnah
• stopped sacrifices
• Rosh Hashana - Solar was now to be sounded

Question 9

What is Jewish Secularism?

Answer 9

The separation of religious authority from the private lives of members of the Jewish community

Question 10

What is Secular Jewishness?

Answer 10

Having the essence of what it means to be Jewish without God as a part of the explanation

Question 11

What did Mordecai Kaplan say?

Answer 11

Most Jews do not identify their Jewishness with any positive religious convictions

Introduced ‘Bat Mitzvah’ om 1922

Question 12

What did Sherwin Wine say?

Answer 12

“If I were CEO and ran a company like God runs the universe I’d be fired”

Question 13

What was Sherwin WIne’s view on Jewish Identity?

Answer 13

Worked to develop Secular Humanistic Judaism

Emphasise celebrating Jewish History, culture and ethics

‘Ignostic’ - it’s not possible to prove or disprove God, so it is meaningless

Question 14

What is the analogy of the family?

Answer 14

You’re adopted into. family and everyone believes in a different philosophy, but it is still family

Question 15

What is notion of ‘The Jewish Underground’?

Answer 15

• challenges Jewish belief
• roots, consist of millions of Jews who expressed a rebellion but were silenced and unpublished
• there has always been people who were secular

Question 16

What does Sivan Mass say?

Answer 16

Most Israelites live a secular life, do not depend on a higher power to make decisions

Question 17

Who is Sivan Mass?

Answer 17

Chair of ‘Secular Judaism’

First Israeli to be ordained as a secular humanist Rabbi in 2003

Views the role of a rabbi is to teach and educated Jewish culture

Question 18

What is the UK law concerning Judaism?

Answer 18

It offers aid to Jews who wish to adhere to their beliefs without suffering discrimination

Question 19

What is an employer’s guide to Judaism?

Answer 19

Practicing Jews work in all areas of jobs, they are able to operate in a work environment whilst observing Judaism fully

Question 20

How many Jewish people are there in the UK?

Answer 20

2021 census - 270,000

Question 21

What is the significance of ‘Tikkun Olam’?

Answer 21

Meaning to repair and improve the world, it is the collective mission of the Jewish people

Question 22

Who is Richard G. Hirsch?

Answer 22

• beliefs that Jewish history has a beginning and an end
• God left the world perfect
• we need to repair Jewish people first, then the world

Question 23

What is Judaism in the 21st Century?

Answer 23

Enemies no longer demand distinction, friends no longer demand assimilation

Question 24

What does Simon R. Hirsch believe?

Answer 24

• defended Orthodox Judiais following the development of reform
• secular Judaism in abandoning Jewish duty
• the purpose of life is not personal happiness, but to strive to serve God through Mitzvots
• Jews were exiled, must fulfil their mission by remaining loyal to God

Question 25

What does Rabbi Jonathan Sacks believe?

Answer 25

• advocated for Tikkun Olam - a part of the Jewish mission
• The concept of suffering allows Jews a unique understanding of the world
• understanding the problems in the world leads to helping the world

Question 26

What did Charles Darwin propose?

Answer 26

‘On the origin of species’ 1959 - the mechanism for evolution being natural selection

Question 27

How does evolution challenge intelligent design?

Answer 27

If species evolved unaided, then the idea of a designer is not needed

Question 28

What was Maimonides view on science?

Answer 28

He never doubted the creation of the universe - dependent on God and he suggested three ways how (1) (2) (3)

Question 29

What is (1)?

Answer 29

Moses - God created the world from ex-nihilo in a free, spontaneous act

Question 30

What is (2)?

Answer 30

Plato - the world was created from pre existing matter

Question 31

What is (3)?

Answer 31

Aristotle - existence is emanation, it has always existed and always will

Question 32

Who was Raphael Meldola?

Answer 32

He developed research in mimicry in butterflies, which presented evidence of natural selection

Question 33

What is Rashi’s stance on science?

Answer 33

Viewed the world as ‘de-novo’ which is a creation from pre-existing matter

It is an unformed void waiting for God to breath life into it