December 8, 2011 – 9:00 am
The Jewish community celebrates the festival of Rededication also known as the festival of lights for eight days beginning on the 25the day of the Jewish month. This festival is known as Chanukkah. Although it is not as significant as other Jewish festivals like Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot etc., yet it is popular as it occurs close to Christmas.
The history of this festival belongs to the era under the rule of Alexander the Great. He was the most powerful ruler the world had seen. He conquered the kingdoms of Syria, Palestine and Egypt but allowed the people of those regions to follow their own religions. During this time the Hellenistic Culture was adopted by many Jews. But after a hundred years when Antiochus IV came to power, he began to oppress the Jews. He placed a Hellenistic priest in the temple and prohibited the practice of Jewish religion. He also offered sacrifice of pigs to annoy the Jews. This caused two groups to be formed in the region which opposed the practice of Antiochus IV. The first group was headed by Mattathias and his son and the second group was known as the Chasidim. Both these groups revolted against the oppression of the Jews at the hands of the Greek government. They were successful in their revolt and finally rededicated the Temple. This happened in the year 165 BC. The twenty fifth of the Jewish month, Kislev is celebrated every year to commemorate this event.
The story goes that at the time of rededication an eternal flame had to be lit but it was found out that only a little oil was left as the rest had been defiled by the Greeks. The new oil would take a week to be prepared. But the flame burned through the eight days miraculously with that little oil. Therefore this festival is celebrated for eight days.
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September 15, 2011 – 3:01 pm
Laughter is the key to good health and humor keeps all tumors at bay. Jewish humor dates back to the day of Judaism. Jew humor is used to communicate your ideas and belief to people in an effective manner. You should make laughter a part of your life as it helps to break boredom and a monotonous existence. It helps to keep your nerves calm. Sometimes people convey their sad state of life by performing actions of humor, no verbal dialog is used. It is miming that conveys the message with a slight humor in it. Comedy and humor do go hand in hand, but sometimes the former is used to convey a serious message.
Humor within the Jewish community is mostly verbally done by use of anecdotes. There are different types of Jewish humor. Writers have being able to convey emotions through different types of humor. Literature is full of verbal humor which is done by use of various figures of speech such as ‘hyperbole’. It is nothing but exaggeration but if used in the form of a joke for e.g. ‘she is so thin that she can pass through the eye of a needle’. The other figures of speech used are satire, pun, spoonerism, malapropism, mixed metaphor as Jew sense of fun.
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In Jewish Jewelry, nowadays there are a number of unique and beautiful pieces available in the market. Some of the jewelry pieces have phrases in Hebrew, Biblical names, items that are symbolic from the Army in Israel, necklaces personalized with your own name, necklaces made in Hamsa designs to seek protection from evil etc. Whether it is rings, bracelets, necklaces, bangles, brooches or any kind of jewelry, you can get them engraved depending upon your choice. In Judaism, there are many symbols as well as religious signs which can be used to engrave jewelry.
The jewelry has a lot of meaning attached to each and hence it is very different from the regular jewelry lines. Traditional symbols of Jews and Israel in general used in religious ceremonies are explored by designers for this unique type of jewelry. Every single piece that you purchase has a term engraved that is meaningful and hence before making the final purchase you should find out the hidden meaning first. Avoid purchasing Jewish Jewelry just because it looks beautiful and instead check the meaning behind each piece.
Symbols of different types are being commonly used in designing jewelry in Jewish designs. You can get an idea on the different kinds of symbols available online prior to making the final purchase. One of the most popular designs available is Jewish Jewelry is the Chai design. The term Chai in Hebrew means ‘living’ and it is made up of two letters – Chet and Yud. Eighteen is the value of the word Chai, as is seen in all the letters in Hebrew, all of which have numerical values.
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The interest of the Jews is being managed by an association termed as the American Jewish Congress since many years. It is not only in Israel that is the home of the Jews that the association has been active but also all the rest of the Jews who are residing in other countries all over the world. It is through the courts, the legislation, using diplomatic methods as well as advocating public policies at home as well as abroad that the interest of the Jews are being dealt with on a very broad scale.
Besides the American Jewish Congress, another associated called the American Jewish Committee also has a very prominent place in the life of the Jewish community. The American Jewish Committee in its abbreviated form is better known as the AJC. For the purpose of identification, both the organizations are accordingly are referred to as the AJCommittee and the AJCongress. Activities of the Congress have been suspended after July 13, 2010 when a lot of staff got laid off and huge losses were incurred by the operating funds of the association.
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It is of an idea termed as the ‘Jehovah God’ that the Jews consider themselves children. A relationship that is simple as well as unique has been maintained by the Jews with their supreme God. Since years the Jews have been able to keep this idea alive and have been able to go through all the trials as well as troubles in their lives. Even in times of tribulation the Jews have always been zealously following this idea and certain attached Jewish superstitions. As compared to the rest of the religions, ideas as well as religious influences around them, the idea followed by the Jews is jealously aloof from the rest.
Jews were very affected by the Hellenistic philosophies as well as religion, but in a contrary fashion. Jews have been successful in getting their nationalism steered, and they also have been resisting assimilation as well. In the Jewish history it is seen that the Hellenistic period began with Alexander the Great’s death in the year 323 and the period ends in 31 BC with the battle of Actium. All different territories which were under the religious as well as cultural influence of the Greeks as well as Palestine which was the land of the Jews, refers to Hellenistic period and a period of building on superstition.
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For all those who are converts in the Jewish community and for all those who practice the Jewish religion, the kind of Jewish gifts that are available, are considered to be more of a blessing. Jews are considered to be very religious in nature and are deeply connected with their faith. This is well reflected in the gifts that are truly unique as well as beautiful. The kind of Jewish gift you get can be treasured for a lifetime as it is not like any other kind of gift item. Jews give a lot of importance to their heritage as for them it is very respectful and highly sacred.
This community has ensured that their culture and their tradition are carried on from one generation to the other. To all the Jews who are following from Jesus’ Christ’s bloodline as the practicing Jews consider gifts of the Jewish types very close and dear. As far as the stores that sell Judaica items and as far as gifts from this culture are concerned the Jewish history and heritage that is truly rich has a very strong connection.
If you have friends who are Jewish or if you want to present gift items to parents then a Jewish gift is considered to be the perfect choice. These items are lovely to look as they also in many ways depict the history of the Jews and also symbols from ancient times.
Both the good as well as the bad times are withstood well by almost every gift item made in Jewish tradition. Craftsmen from Bethlehem and also Jerusalem make a number of the Jewish gift items by hand. It is their unique craftsmanship that makes these gift items stand out from the rest of the regular gift item from other cultures.
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Since centuries the art adopted by the Jews has adapted itself well all over the world especially by the Jews themselves who traveled to different parts of the globe. By itself the community of Jews is very rich. It has always been their effort to have all their achievements attuned in their culture and their actions with the religious aspect combined in unique ways. Many conditions were levied on them socially as a result of which the Jewish artists had limited scope. If in the open if any of the Jews indulged in a communal art, they were disallowed in indulging in those arts.
The artists in the Jew community however were the determined variety and did not discontinue art while they were within their own community. Many of the special events like Jewish weddings as well as the Bar Mitzvahs and holidays that are very important to the Jews continue to be celebrated, and did so even after the restrictions continued in many areas. A number of creative items of the Jewish artists were wonderfully displayed at many of the celebrations of the religious types.
In Jewish marriages, a contract called the Ketubah is presented to bride to be by the bridegroom. The Ketubah is an important document that is legally prepared to enable the bridegroom to have his obligations covered in writing as well as his responsibilities towards the bride. Strength of the artists in the Jewish community is showcased well as this Ketubah document provides them the right kinds of opportunities to display their art and skills.
The document is made to look attractive in every possible way by including elements of artistic nature. After the Jewish marriage this document can also be retained as a piece of genuine art form of the Jews.
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All around the world there are approximately around fourteen millions followers of the Jewish religion. The religion of the Jews is Judaism. This community is well concentrated in the Soviet Union, United States and Israel. Significant population of the Jews is also seen in other nations like Brazil Canada, Argentina, Great Britain and France. Monotheism, which means belief in one God, was the first religion of its kind initiated by Jews. Many of the Western religions find their roots in the Jewish religion, Judaism.
As per the central tenet of this religion, a special agreement was made by the Creator of the World, God, and his people. This agreement is also called a covenant with Abraham, for whose sake the Jewish people had descended. If the Jews remained true to the laws of God and worshipped him with utmost faith, the covenant states that the Jewish people would be blessed with the protection and love of God. The covenant also states that the Jews should be accountable for transgressions against God, as well as his laws. It is believed that the Jewish people had been singled out amongst all the ancient people that existed, to receive the blessings as well as laws of God.
Jews have been described as the ‘Chosen People’ all through history. The Jews were the chosen ones to be the servants. It is a well understood Jewish belief that the universal creator of all humanity is God. After converts demonstrate their knowledge about their sincerity and faith in accepting laws of the religion, they are accepted. Traditionally, converts were not encouraged by the Jews. A belief in a coming Messiah or the anointed one is included in the tenets of Judaism, who will get all the Jewish people united and then lead them to such a Kingdom of God on this earth that will bring justice and peace to all of mankind.
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For any parent following current trend, it is not at all an easy task trying to search a perfect name for the baby. Thinking of interesting and unique names will only make the task more difficult. A name with a deep and strong message and meaningful implication is often looked for by most parents these days. Jewish names are well known for attributes like spirituality, character as well as strength and hence people are always on the look out for a popular Jewish name. A good idea would be to take a look online at some of the most popular Jewish names and their meanings as well.
Parents can select from a wide variety of Jewish baby names that are truly beautiful. Hundreds of results can be dished out by simply looking up the internet. One of the most beautiful Jewish baby names is Shlomo which means ‘wise and peaceful’, and comes from the wise biblical king, King Solomon. Yehuda, meaning ‘the praised one’ is another interesting Jewish baby name which is obtained from the English language but in the transliterated form of Jude or Judd. Another beautiful baby girl’s Jewish name is Shaina or Shayna meaning ‘beautiful’, which sounds fascinating and mysterious besides being a well fitting name for a cute baby girl.
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Origin of the Jews can be traced to the Biblical times. Having a 5700 year history, they have gradually evolved out of a common religion. Regardless of religious attitudes as individuals, Jews have developed an ethical system, their own customs and culture which have been well presented in Jewish Museums. This ancient community has been the conquered ones and the conquerors as well. Despite persecution since hundreds of years, massacres and dispersion amongst many nations all over the world, they still continue to survive well. They continue to hold on to the basic tents of their culture as well as religion, though they adopt some folkways and local customs where other people have been assimilated into their fold.
Jüdisches Museum Berlin or the Jewish Museum Berlin, in Germany covers two millennia of the history of German Jewish. This museum consists of two buildings out of which one is a former courthouse, the old Kollegienhaus that was constructed during the eighteenth century. Daniel Libeskind the world renowned architect designed the other new addition which was built specifically for a museum. After the German reunification in Berlin, this was one the first buildings that was designed and then later on in the year 2001, it was opened to the public. Since December 1997, W. Michael Blumenthal, the Princeton professor born near Berlin who was President Jimmy Carter’s Secretary of the Treasury has been the museum’s director.
The other museum is the Jewish Museum in the US which has a design style that is very different from many other museums and is located on the same avenue of culture as Cooper-Hewitt, Guggenheim and Met. It looks like a Gothic church ironically due to the windows and towers that make the building appear humungous. Most of the other buildings next door are square and plain, while this museum building is completely different. Unlike many other museums on there is more to this Jewish Museum that can meet the eye.
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