Judaism Here and Now
This talk was delivered with the aid of physical objects, Jewish artefacts displayed on a table and shown when appropriate. No Power Point presentation or other on-screen projection was used. Below is a summary of the presentation. I hope it is useful.
Background Info:
-In Judaism, like in any other religion, you’ll find some people who are more observant and others who are not.
-Ultra-orthodox Jews are distinguished by their appearance; men wear top hats, black coats, grow their beards and sideburns. Women in these communities dress very modestly with long dressed or skirts, long sleeves and a hat, scarf or a wig on their heads.
-Orthodox Jewish men wear a Kippah (also called yarmulke, skull cap or prayer cap) in public and other Jews wear it only during prayer.
-The majority of Jews in the Bristol and West of England area do not wear any distinguishing garments in public.However, if you visit some parts of London, Manchester and other big cities where there are large concentrations of Jewish people, you are likely to see more people fitting these descriptions.
-Judaism is not just a religion, it is a way of life. Many Jews are not affiliated with any congregation, yet see themselves as ‘Culturally Jewish’, identifying with the Jewish music, literature, food etc…
In general, most Jews who live around here wear western clothing, are second, third generation of Jews living in the UK, and often you would not know that they are Jewish unless it came out in conversation.
Synagogues:
-A Synagogue can be defined as a Jewish House of Prayer. Jews however see their synagogues not only as a house of prayer, but also as a house of study and a house of gathering, where Jews can meet with other Jews. There are two synagogues in Bristol and their membership covers the area of Bath, South Gloucestershire, Weston Super Mare, Swindon, etc, as there are no other synagogues around.
-Park Row Synagogue is an Orthodox synagogue, situated near the University of Bristol. The building was purposefully built to become a synagogue. The services are conducted in a more conservative, traditional manner, where only men are permitted to lead services or become rabbis and where men and women sit separately, with men in the main area downstairs and women seated in the gallery.
-Bristol and West Progressive Jewish Congregation (BWPJC) is located in the Easton area of Bristol, and as the name indicates is a progressive synagogue, where the more liberal attitude translates into equality between men and women, where women can lead services and where men and women sit together during services. As a matter of fact, at the moment the BWPJC has a woman Rabbi. The Kippah and Tallit (prayer Shall), both of which are traditionally worn only by men, can, in this congregation, be worn by women as well, if they so wish.
Basics of Judaism:
Although there is a scientific explanation for how the world came to be, let us now focus on religious aspects. According to the Jewish belief system, there is one God, the same one God as in Christianity and Islam.
-In different religions God may be referred to by different names, ways of praying vary and festivals are different because each faith has its own history and special days of celebrations and has developed different traditions but God is one and the same for all three Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam).
-Before Creation, it was all dark, and the first thing that God did was create light. Since Darkness is mentioned before light, and night before day, all Jewish festivals start on the “evening before”. Just like Christmas celebrations begin on Christmas Eve.
-According to Jewish belief, God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. Therefore, people as well as animals are expected and deserve to have a day of rest. Saturday in Hebrew is called Shabbat. Shabbat means rest in Hebrew, and so the Jewish Sabbath, the Jewish day of rest is Saturday.
-Most festivals come around once a year, but Shabbat – the day of rest is a festival celebrated every week. As with all other Jewish celebration, Jews welcome Shabbat from the evening before, so Shabbat starts on Friday evening.
-According to Judaism, God is everywhere, all the time. An intermediary is not needed in order to communicate with God. One can pray to God wherever one is; at home, work, in nature etc. A prayer book is not needed. One can pray by saying what is on one’s mind, or in one’s heart.
-If one wishes to pray in an organised and structured manner, there are services in the Synagogue, where a book called ‘The order of Service’ is used.People pray collectively by reading and chanting specific sections from this book at different times of day and for specific occasions.
In Practice:
-In areas where Jewish concentration is significant, it is likely to find a Synagogue nearby. In these cases, the Synagogues are open on a daily basis and frequented by more observant Jews on a regular basis.
-In other places, where the Jewish population is scattered over a larger area, there is neither interest nor is it practical for members to attend services daily and so Synagogues mostly offer services on a Friday evening, Saturday morning and festivals.
-Many families enjoy welcoming Shabbat at home on a Friday evening and will make the effort to be at home in time to gather around the table for a festive meal, which includes ritual blessings over candles, a Kiddush cup of wine or grape juice and Challah, the specially platted bread. After the meal, some may choose to go to the synagogue.
-On a Saturday, there are more people who are able to attend services.
The Torah:
-The Torah, also known as the five books of Moses, is the very beginning of the old testament. Jews follow the Old Testament, which together with the New Testament comprise the Bible, the holly book followed by Christians. So, the Torah and in fact the whole of the Old Testament are shared by Jews and Christians. Many stories from the Torah also figure in Islamic liturgy.
-The Torah is the most sacred book in Judaism and in the Synagogue one will find besides of printed Torah books, also the Torah Scroll.
-Torah books are printed and mass produced and in the UKcan usually be found written in Hebrew, with English translation and additional commentary at the bottom of the page.
-Torah Scrollsare hand written on parchment, with a special quill and special ink, by Scribes, who are specially trained to do so. Torah Scrolls are always written in Hebrew. When reading from the Torah Scroll, a special pointer called Yad is used. From a practical point of view, this helps protect the scroll against wear and tear. From a spiritual point of view, using the pointer is a sign of respect to the sacred writings.
-Torah means teaching and in the Torahthere are commandments and stories. These commandments and stories serve as a guide to the interaction between people, between each person and God and between people and nature.
-A parallelism can be drawn for school aged children between the commandments in the Torah and the Golden Rules or Code of Conduct found in schools. The school rules help children know what is expected of them, which behaviour is acceptable and which is not. The school rules can be extrapolated and serve as a guide for behaviour outside of school as well. By the same token, the commandments in the Torah are moral and ethical values, common sense that should be followed in daily life.
Story:
This story is from about 2000 years ago, around the time when Jesus was alive.
*A person who was not Jewish went to Rabbi Shammai and asked if he could teach him the whole of the Torah while he stood on one foot.
*Rabbi Shammai turned him away saying it was impossible and the man was wasting his time.
*The perseverant non-Jew then went on to Rabbi Hillel and asked him the same question.
*After considering the request for a moment, Rabbi Hillel replied “What is hateful to you, do not do onto others. The rest is just commentary, go home and read it”
We are all familiar with this expression, this moral message exists in all religions, languages and cultures. We should treat others the way we wish to be treated. If we all treat each other with respect, the world will be a better place for us all to live in.
Other points discussed:
-Bar / Bat Mitzvah, when a Jewish child becomes an adult in the eyes of the community. Differences between Orthodox and Liberal practices.
-Kosher food – dietary restrictions.
-Mezuzah, a little case containing the Shema prayer, which is attached to door posts.
Talk presented by Iris Segall
-Volunteer Educational Visits Host and Coordinator, Bristol and West Progressive Jewish Congregation (BWPJC) Synagogue.
-Faith and Cultural Awareness Training facilitator, West Wiltshire Multi Faith Forum (WWMFF).
-Committee member, Bath and North East Somerset SACRE.
-Committee Member, South Gloucestershire SACRE.