Jewish History
Jewish History questions and answers
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Q: Jewish history?
I am interested in learning a bit about Jewish culture and history. I don't want to read a book that focuses on the Holocaust or the foundation of the State of Israel. I'm more interested in a historical overview of Judaism from ancient history to modern times. What are some enjoyable, introductory level books about Jewish History... any suggestions? I'm looking for a more fun, leisurely read here, but a little scholarly analysis wouldn't hurt! Thanks
BTW... I've already read the Bible! I'm not interested in attending Sunday School again. What I'm looking for here is a historical monograph that utilizes both primary and secondary sources. Thanks
A: Before you even go spending money on a book, Aish has a nifty little webpage with articles all titled "Crash Course in Jewish History": http://www.aish.com/literacy/jewishhistory/
As for books, Jewish Literacy by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin ought to be recommended reading. Insightful, and providing a nice, broad overview of Jewish history while not being too taxing on the reader. Good stuff. http://www.amazon.com/Jewish-Literacy-Important-Religion-History/dp/0688085067/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1200668107&sr=8-1
You can also find some good history books here: http://www.artscroll.com/Categories/his.html
In particular, I recommend the ones written by Rabbi Berel Wein, which I think includes the first five on that page.
I hope this helps you get started, and that you enjoy your studies. Jewish history is a fascinating subject, and has drawn the interest of many scholars, a large percentage of whom aren't even Jewish themselves. I think you'll find the articles and books I've linked to above both informative and entertaining. We're good at that.
Q: What does Jewish history and theology teach about Ishmael?
After he and his mother Hagar left what became of them? Does Ishmael play any significant role in Jewish history? Are their stories of him in the Midrashes or Talmud?
A: From a young age, the Midrash points out that Ishmael bullied his younger half-brother. This led Abraham's first wife, Sarah to throw Ishmael out of her house. He was considered a bad influence.
Ishmael, now cast out was stranded in the desert. He had run out of water and was dehydrated. He was halucinating and he realised that death was moments away. He repented for his wrong doing and miraculously, a well appeared and he lived.
Genesis 25:12-16 recounts the generations of Ishmael and says that each of his many sons had cities. He became very powerful.
In Genesis 37:25-28 it says that the brothers of Joseph sold him to Ishmaelites who had camels bearing spices, balsam and lotus for 20 pieces of silver. This shows that the Ishmaelites were involved with trade and were mercheants.
In the Talmud, a Rabbi from the Tanaic times, Rabbi Ishmael is quoted dozens of times. He was considered to be exceptional and was one of the 10 martyrs murdered by the Romans. The question is asked, why did Ishmael merit to have such a great man named after him?
The simple answer is that Ishmael literally means 'God will hear' and is a name with deep meaning. Therefore the Rabbi was not named after Ishmael but due to the name's meaning. There are deeper reasons which I shan't delve into.
The Spartan, Assyrian and Byzantine empires allegedly descend from Ishmael.
I hope that this helps.
Q: What is a good overview book on Jewish history?
My father-in-law is Jewish, which technically makes my husband not at all Jewish according to tradition, but he grew up celebrating Hanukkah with his grandparents.
He does not know a lot about the history of his ancestors, and I'd like to get him a good book that provides a thorough overview of the history of the Jewish people.
Please suggest some books.
A: "Jews, God and History" by Max Dimont
One of the best Jewish history books I have ever read (and I've read quite a few).
If after learning the history he'd like to learn more about the religion get him the "Jewish Book of Why" series by Alfred J. Kolatch. They are wonderful at explaining why we do the things we do.
I hope he enjoys the books. You are wonderful wife for encouraging his interest in his ancestry.
Q: Describe the idea of covenant in jewish history?
Describe the idea of covenant in jewish history while doing so, please address the following questions: what exactly are the covenants? how do they differ from one another? How do they shape Jewish history as such? How do covenants reflect the Jewish relationship with God? How do they affect the practice of Judaism as a religion? Do you think that the idea of covenant is a good way to structure a religion? Why or why not?
A: That's a lot of questions. I'm not Jewish, so you shouldn't trust anything I say.
A covenant in Jewish history is a a two way promise between God and man (or women). If we keep our part of the covenant, then God will keep His part of the covenant.
The Abrahamic covenant is one of the most studied covenants in the Torah. This same covenant was given to Issac, Abrahams son and Jacob (renamed Isreal)
In this covenant, God promised
1. Abraham would be the father of many nations, and kings.
2. God would be a God to him and his seed.
3. The land of Cannan.
And this covenant was conditional upon all males being circumcised.
Genesis Chapter 17
3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.
5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.
6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.
8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
9 ΒΆ And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.
10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.
Q: What role did Profits pay in Jewish history?
What role did Profits pay in Jewish history?
A: Profit - The positive gain from an investment or business operation after subtracting for all expenses. opposite of loss.
If you meant the word defined above, please see below
Stereotype - to attribute over-generalized and preconceived characteristics to someone or something.
If you meant the definition below, you might want to re-phrase the question.
Prophet - someone who speaks by divine inspiration; someone who is an interpreter of the will of God
Q: Questions about jewish faith and history?
Why is it so hard to distinguish Jewish history from Jewish faith?
How has Judaism been kept strong over the centuries?
What conclusions can be drawn about the contributions of Judaism to civilization?
thanks for your help!
A: (YES); it IS so hard to "distinguish" Jewish history from Jewish faith !
Q: Why is the covenant with Abraham important in Jewish history?
A: because it gave the jews license to kick the crap out of everyone ALREADY living there like the phonecians, before they were taken into slavery they were part of a tribal confederation. this covenant was them saying they had the moral right to take over the whole country.
Q: Was the Holocaust the deadliest and biggest disaster in Jewish history?
Was it the deadliest persecution (and by disaster besides the destructions of the temples and the exile)
A: Yes without a doubt. Over 6 million Jewish people were slaughtered in Hitler's gas chambers. They numerically represented over one third of the entire Jewish people.
Q: What is a really good website that i can find info. on the history of the jewish zodiac?
we are doing public speeches and i have to do one on the jewish zodiac signs and the history behind them ,and also where they came from.please help mee!!
A: We don't have zodiac signs, so it's going to be difficult to do!
Q: Are there any such notorious cases of corrupted Jewish clergy in history?
Catholic clergy throughout history used to care about money and power. Of course not all of them, but still, variuos selling of indulgences and so on...
A: I doubt it if you will find any written documents about corruption as these things were kept very secretive. I doubt it if there were money issues as the Jews were usually very poor in Europe (I am talking about the period until the 19th century) If you talk about molestation of kids I am sure it did happen and it happens even today but its very difficult to learn anything about it as the Jews like many other minorities learned how to expel such criminals without using the official authorities.
Q: History of the early Jewish and Christian faiths?
I need major help on an assignment. This is what the teacher wrote...
"Discuss the histories of the early Jewish and Christian faiths (up to the fall of the Roman Empire). Include the impact of a few of the key individuals from each faith and how these two faiths are related."
Please help!! 10 points who ever gives me the most info
THANKS!
A: You must include Rabbi Akiva and the Bar Kokhba rebellion.
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/akiba.html
I recommend:
"A History of the Jews" by Paul Johnson
"Constantine's Sword" by James Carroll
Your teacher will appreciate library resources much more than unreliable internet sources.
.
Q: can you pls tell me some jewish history oriented movies or documentaries?
A: 1 The Chosen (1981) Jeremy Paul Kagan PG Jewish
2 Fiddler on the Roof (1971) Norman Jewison G
3 Schindler's List (1993) Steven Spielberg R Judaism
4 Shoah (1985) Claude Lanzmann NR
5 The Jazz Singer (1927) Alan Crosland NR
6 Annie Hall (1977) Woody Allen PG Jewish (raised Orthodox); agnostic
7 Funny Girl (1968) William Wyler G Jewish
8 Gentleman's Agreement (1947) Elia Kazan NR Greek Orthodox (lapsed);
Communist
9 Exodus (1960) Otto Preminger NR Jewish
10 Ben-Hur (1959) William Wyler NR Jewish
10 The Ten Commandments (1956) Cecil B. DeMille G Episcopalian
11 Crossing Delancey (1988) Joan Micklin Silver PG
12 The Golem (1920) Paul Wegener; Carl Boese NR
13 Au Revoir, Les Enfants (1987) Louis Malle PG Catholic (lapsed)
14 Almonds and Raisins:
A History of the Yiddish Cinema (1988) Russ Karel NR
15 Enemies, a Love Story (1989) Paul Mazursky R Jewish
16 The Great Dictator (1940) Charlie Chaplin NR Anglican; agnostic
17 The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1974) Ted Kotcheff PG Jewish (?)
18 Blazing Saddles (1974) Mel Brooks R Jewish
19 Chariots of Fire (1981) Hugh Hudson PG
20 Body and Soul (1947) Robert Rossen NR Jewish
21 The Pawnbroker (1965) Sidney Lumet NR Jewish
22 Goodbye Columbus (1969) Larry Peerce PG Jewish
23 Bugsy (1991) Barry Levinson R Jewish
24 Cabaret (1972) Bob Fosse PG
25 Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) Woody Allen PG-13 Jewish (raised Orthodox); agnostic
26 The Last Angry Man (1959) Daniel Mann NR
27 The Outside Chance of Maximilian Glick (1988) Allan Goldstein G
28 The Revolt of Job (1983) Imre Gyongyossy; Barna Kabay NR
29 Homicide (1991) David Mamet R Jewish
30 Madame Rosa (1977) Moshe Mizrahi PG
31 Driving Miss Daisy (1989) Bruce Beresford PG
32 Reversal of Fortune (1990) Barbet Schroeder R
33 Europa Europa (1991) Agnieszka Holland R practicing Catholic
34 The Big Fix (1978) Jeremy Paul Kagan PG Jewish
35 Broadway Danny Rose (1984) Woody Allen PG Jewish (raised Orthodox); agnostic
36 Julia (1977) Fred Zinnemann PG Jewish
37 Marathon Man (1976) John Schlesinger R Jewish
38 A Majority of One (1962) Mervyn LeRoy NR Jewish
39 Oliver! (1968) Carol Reed G
40 Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986) Paul Mazursky R Jewish
41 Holocaust (1978) Marvin Chomsky NR
42 Dirty Dancing (1987) Emile Ardolino PG-13
43 The Front (1976) Martin Ritt PG Jewish
44 Biloxi Blues (1988) Mike Nichols PG-13 Jewish
45 The Diary of Anne Frank (1959) George Stevens NR
46 Shine (1996) Scott Hicks PG-13
47 Daniel (1983) Sidney Lumet R Jewish
48 Yentl (1983) Barbra Streisand PG Jewish
49 The Young Lions (1958) Edward Dmytryk NR
50 Marjorie Morningstar (1958) Irving Rapper NR
Q: What are some good websites to look up Jewish history in the U.S.?
Also religon, customs and other informational things.
A: American Jewish Historical Societyhttp://www.ajhs.org/
Short article on the archaeology of immigrant California Jewshttp://www.sonoma.edu/asc/cypress/finalreport/part2.htm
Resources > Jewish communities > America > Northern Americahttp://www.dinur.org/resources/resourceCategoryDisplay.aspx?categoryid=804&rsid=478
Feinstein Centerhttp://www.temple.edu/feinsteinctr/fcrelated.html
United Jewish Communities of North Americahttp://www.ujc.org/index.html
Jews in Americahttp://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/US-Israel/jewstoc.html
Jewish-American Literaturehttp://www.jbuff.com/c021501.htm
Thoughts About The Jewish People By American Thinkershttp://www.zehut.net/English/Philosopher.htm
Jewish-American History on the Webhttp://www.jewish-history.com/Default.htm
Jewish American Hall of Famehttp://www.amuseum.org/jahf/
The Jewish Impact on Americahttp://www.simpletoremember.com/vitals/jewsamerica.htm
Jewish Success In The American Mediahttp://www.simpletoremember.com/vitals/Jews-In-The-Media-Hollywood.htm
2000-01 National Jewish Population Surveyhttp://ujc.org/page.html?ArticleID=33650
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Jewshttp://cjp.org/page.html?ArticleID=102699
Q: What is the history of Jewish Passover? why does Easter coincide with it as well?
Did the Hebrews of Judea perhaps have similar ritual as the pagan ritual?
BECAUSE THE JEWISH PASSOVER IS AROUND THE SAME TIME AS THE PAGAN HOLIDAY OSTARA?
PASSOVER IS VERY CLOSE TO THE TIME OF THE VERNAL EQUINOX.
MY QUESTION IS HOW DID THIS TIME MAYBE RELATE TO THE JEWISH PASSOVER AND EASTER AND WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF THIS EVOLVEMENT TOGETHER IN EUROPE ESPECIALLY?
A: Others have answered the history of Passover.
The reason that the two are at the same time is simple, Easter is the celebration of the Crucifixion, and Resurrection of Jesus.
This took place during the Jewish Festival of Passover, so early Christians, who where no more than a sect of Judaism, celebrated this at the same time as passover.
Although Christian tradition did hijack many pagan festivals to install their own (Christmas for example), Easter has its roots in the passover feast.
Modern Paganism is a manufactured religion, and has no link to Pagan ceremonies as historians would understand it.
Q: what is the impotance of studying jewish history to understanding Jesus and his messages?
A: Jesus was a first century Jew, and some of the statements he made require at least some knowledge of the culture of that time to correctly interpret them. For instance, when Jesus said that "It is easier for a rich man to get into heaven then for an camel to get through the eye of needle", most people today would think of trying to squeeze a camel through the little hole in a sewing needle.
But in New Testament times, each city would have huge gates that they opened during the day, and small one-person gates they open at night. Those little gates where called "the eye of a needle". It was possbile to get a camel through one, but it had to be unloaded and then made to crawl through on its knees because of its small size.
Same with a rich man, he can only get to get to heaven if he unloads all his stuff and comes on his knees.
When you know a little about the history and culture of the time, the saying has a much richer meaning.