Jewish Perspectives: An Introduction and Overview

1. Jewish Perspectives Judaism Dialogue Education An Introduction and Overview THIS CD HAS BEEN PRODUCED FOR TEACHERS TO USE IN THE CLASSROOM. IT IS A CONDITION OF THE USE OF THE CD THAT IT BE USED ONLY BY PEOPLE FROM SCHOOLS THAT HAS PURCHASED THE CD ROM FROM DIALOGUE EDUCATION. (THIS DOES NOT PROHIBIT ITS USE ON A SCHOOL’S INTRANET).

2. Documentary- Kingdom of David: The Saga of the Israelites(60 minutes) Click on the image to the left. You will need to be connected to the internet to view this presentation. Enlarge to full screen. Click here if you have a problem

3. GAMES • Click on an image above for a game of “Penalty Shootout” or “Hoop-shoot”. Try playing the game with your students at the start and the end of the unit. Make sure you have started the slide show and are connected to the internet.

4. Judaism • Judaism can be defined as the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people.

5. Judaism • It is considered by Jews to be the expression of the covenantal relationship God developed with the Children of Israel.

6. Judaism • Judaism claims a historical continuity spanning more than 3000 years.

7. Judaism • The Hebrews / Israelites were already referred to as Jews in later books of the Tanakh such as the Book of Esther, with the term Jews replacing the title "Children of Israel.“

8. Judaism • In 2007, the world Jewish population was estimated at 13 million, of whom about 40% reside in Israel and 40% in the United States.

9. Judaism • The largest Jewish religious movements are Orthodox Judaism, Conservative Judaism and Reform Judaism.

10. Judaism • Orthodox Judaism maintains that the Torah and Jewish law are divine in origin, eternal and unalterable, and that they should be strictly followed.

11. Judaism • Conservative and Reform Judaism are more liberal, with Conservative Judaism generally promoting a more "traditional" interpretation of Judaism's requirements than Reform Judaism.

12. Judaism • Historically, special courts enforced Jewish law; today, these courts still exist but the practice of Judaism is mostly voluntary.

13. Judaism Judaism begins with ethical monotheism: the belief that God is one, and concerned with the actions of humankind.

14. Judaism According to the Hebrew Bible, God promised Abraham to make of his offspring a great nation.

15. Judaism • Judaism has been described as "normal mysticism," because it involves every-day personal experiences of God through ways or modes that are common to all Jews.

16. Judaism • The ordinary, familiar, everyday things and occurrences, we have constitute occasions for the experience of God.

17. Judaism • Kedushah, holiness, is the imitation of God, and is concerned with daily conduct, with being gracious and merciful, with keeping oneself from defilement by idolatry, adultery, and the shedding of blood.

18. Judaism • Ethical monotheism is central in all sacred texts of Judaism

19. Judaism • For some, observance of Jewish law is more important than belief in God per se.

20. # Avery-Peck, Alan, and Neusner, Jacob, (eds), "The Blackwell reader in Judaism" (Blackwell, 2001) # Cohn-Sherbok, Dan, "Judaism: history, belief, and practice" (Routledge, 2003) # Avery-Peck, Alan, and Neusner, Jacob, (eds), "The Blackwell Companion to Judaism (Blackwell, 2003) # Boyarin, Daniel 1994 A Radical Jew: Paul and the Politics of Identity Berkeley: University of California Press # Ancient Judaism, Max Weber, Free Press, 1967, ISBN 0-02-934130-2 # Living Judaism: The Complete Guide to Jewish Belief, Tradition and Practice Wayne Dosick. # Conservative Judaism: The New Century, Neil Gillman, Behrman House. # American Jewish Orthodoxy in Historical Perspective Jeffrey S. Gurock, 1996, Ktav. # Philosophies of Judaism Julius Guttmann, trans. by David Silverman, JPS. 1964 # Back to the Sources: Reading the Classic Jewish Texts Ed. Barry W. Holtz, Summit Books # A History of the Jews Paul Johnson, HarperCollins, 1988 # A People Divided: Judaism in Contemporary America, Jack Wertheimer. Brandeis Univ. Press, 1997. # Encyclopaedia Judaica, Keter Publishing, CD-ROM edition, 1997 Bibliography

21. # The American Jewish Identity Survey, article by Egon Mayer, Barry Kosmin and Ariela Keysar; a sub-set of The American Religious Identity Survey, City University of New York Graduate Center. An article on this survey is printed in The New York Jewish Week, November 2, 2001. # Lewis, Bernard. (1984). The Jews of Islam. Princeton: Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-00807-8 # Lewis, Bernard. (1999). Semites and Anti-Semites: An Inquiry into Conflict and Prejudice. W. W. Norton & Co. ISBN 0-393-31839-7 # Stillman, Norman (1979). The Jews of Arab Lands: A History and Source Book. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society of America. ISBN 0-8276-0198-0 # Day, John. Yahweh and the Gods and Goddesses of Canaan. Chippenham: Sheffield Academic Press, 2000. # Dever, William G. Did God Have a Wife?. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2005. # Walsh, J.P.M. The Mighty From Their Thrones. Eugene: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 1987. # Wikipedia- Judaism - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism # Finkelstein, Israel (1996). Ethinicity and Origin of the Iron I Settlers in the Highlands of Canaan: Can the Real Israel Please Stand Up? The Biblical Archaeologist, 59(4). Bibliography