The Importance of Judaism in Early America - Free Essay Example

America has a long and complicated history that is made of a mix of many people from many cultures. Although the Jewish people came a little later than original settlers and in a much smaller amount, they still made a significant impact in how America evolved as a nation. Judaism and the people who followed it helped to shape the government, education, and culture that we now experience in modern day America. Through their own triumphs and struggles they set paths that were dug deeper by many people after them. Sometimes the paths that were created were unfortunate roads to go down, like hatred and discrimination, but there were also paths made that lead to religious freedom and educational growth. Americas Jewish community is currently majority Ashkenazi, which is Jews who are from Eastern Europe, mainly Germany. Although Jews are now mostly Ashkenazi, the first Jews who came to early America were Sephardic, which means they originated in Spain and Portugal. Jews began coming to America in 1654 when a group of twenty-three Sephardic Jews emigrated from Brazil. The United States of America was created in a very unique way that stands out from the rest of history. The United States was the first country that was created with democracy as a basis. The Bible was a big part in the start, especially the Old Testament, which is based around Jewish values. As English settlers began arriving in what would become America, they began to describe themselves as Moses entering the Promise Land, referring to the Old Testament of the Bible, otherwise known as the story of the Jewish people. Not that the New Testament was not important to the settlers, especially because they were majority Puritans, but they identified with the story of the Jewish people escaping from Egypt strongly. In Adam Berkowitzs article titled Thanksgivings Dark Origins he states, No Christian community in history identified more with the People of the Book than did the early settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, who believed their own lives to be a literal reenactment of the Biblical drama of the Hebrew nation. They themselves were the children of Israel; America was their Promised Land; the Atlantic Ocean their Red Sea; the Kings of England were the Egyptian pharaohs. These comparisons seem a little drastic, but it seemed to put a stronger faith behind the Colony t hat helped them in their travels and attempts at success. The first Jews to ever travel to what is now America were trying to escape from Recife, Brazil. They were considered Sephardic Jews because they originated from areas that are now known as Spain and Portugal. It is interesting that the first Jews in America were Sephardic because the population of Ashkenazi Jews is now much higher than of Sephardic Jews. There was around twenty-three of them and they travelled through New Amsterdam in search of a better place to settle. In A History of Jews in the United States Dr. Gary Zola is quoted, The refugees immediately encountered hostility [such as Peter Stuyvesants assertion to the Dutch West India Company that they are a deceitful race, hateful enemies and blasphemers of the name of Christ] and fought for opportunitya dynamic that is emblematic of the whole flow of American Jewish history. There were so few Jews, so they were not a huge threat but were still enough to cause a rustle in the earlier settlers plans. After a year of not so fri endly interactions between Dutch West India Company and the Jewish people, they reluctantly gave the Jews the right to settle. But only after realizing that they required investments from them to be successful. This is one of the first instances of Jews helping to create a stronger economy in The United States. The Plantation Act was passed in 1740 to regularize and encourage immigration. This law was made so specifically Jews and other nonconforming religions could be naturalized in the colonies. In 1743 a Jewish Revolutionary officer named Abraham Alexander married a non-Jewish woman, and she became one of the first converts to Judaism in the United States. Alexander also hand wrote a prayer book for his local congregations, which he was a very active member of. It also became very apparent that George Washington was a supporter of the Jewish people, he wrote in a letter to a Jewish congregation in Rhode Island, May the children of the stock of Abraham who dwell in the land continue to merit and enjoy the goodwill of the other inhabitants. While everyone shall sit safely under his own vine and fig-tree and there shall be none to make him afraid. He also had a Rabbi present when he was officiated into office. The Revolutionary War was a huge turning point in Americas history. People from all over the colonies came together to fight the war for their freedom from Great Britain. A group of people who were beneficial during the war but are often overlooked are the Jews, who were not a large group but still made a significant difference. The Impact of the American Revolution on American Jews shows a new perspective on Jews during this time period, The American Jewish population in the late eighteenth century numbered about 2500, scarcely one tenth of one percent of the national population. Jews influence loomed far larger. Concentrated as they were in developing areas, Jews naturally became intimate with leading politicians and businessmen. Jewish merchants and non-Jewish merchants traded freely. Discriminatory legislation, though it existed in the colonies, rarely limited Jews right to work and worship in peace. Indeed, Jews enjoyed far better conditions in the American colonies than in most other corners of the diaspora. Even though Jews were enjoying their new lives in the colonies, they were still facing anti-semitism that made it difficult for them to instantly pick a side when asked to. If the Jews wanted to stay where they were living they would have to side with the colonies, which the majority of them realized quickly. Very few Jews ended up staying loyal with Great Britain. Any and every Jewish person capable of joining in the war began fighting alongside the other colonists. Because the war did not discriminate in who it needed on the battlefield, people from all over were meeting Jews and realizing that they were not so different from themselves. As well as meeting people from other faiths, Jewish people were also able to meet other Jews who came from different part of the worlds than them. This helped to create a strong bond throughout Judaism and sparked many relationships. After the war there were many new opportunities in the colonies that were just as a vailable to Jews as they were to everyone else. It was a little more difficult for Jews because they often had to break rituals to be available for work. The discriminations against them had faded because of the war, but they were still a very small minority in a large country. It was still not a comfortable and safe place to live for them. As the colonies continues to grow, higher education rose in popularity. Universities such as Yale, Harvard, Brown, and other future Ivy Leagues began to build on already strong foundations with a curriculum focused on the Bible. Because they all taught about the Bible so heavily, Hebrew became a core language that was taught at these universities, unlike in Great Britain, where it was not taught anywhere. Many schools incorporated Hebrew phrases or symbols into their emblems and seals. Hebrew became so popular that some students even delivered their commencement speeches in Hebrew.

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Staying Inside Essay - 1375 Words

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Staying Inside (Essay Sample) Content: The advantages and disadvantages of staying inside, in-front of a screenThe screen has been known to be educative, informative, and to do have many other positive effects to the society. Screen in this case refers to the television, computer, and other electronic gadgets which attract the attention of a person. As much good as they may have, it has been realized that they have more bad than good. There are many disadvantages of the screen, ranging from social, health, as well as psychological. That informs the basis of this research, hence the thesis, "More and more people are choosing to spend their free time inside in-front of a screen in the UK. Would it be better to spend more time outside instead?à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ This essay is meant to address all the advantages as well as the disadvantages of staying inside in front of a screen for prolonged periods. The essay will make a comparison between the two and know which one outdoes which. That way, it will be easy to con clude if it is better for the people in the UK to stay inside or to stay outside. It will show the alternatives of it in the instance that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages.These issues are affecting people across the divide, regardless of the age bracket. An article in the daily mail in the UK associated the young children with accessing pornography in the mobile phones that they own (LIZ). They have been exploring each otherà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s body using the enabled mobile phones. Watching pornography is moral degradation. It is the worst way for a child to spending their leisure time. There are other more fruitful things that a child could do during the leisure time.The second disadvantage is that, the screens are common causes of health problems. Some of the screens which can result to such kind of problems include the television as well as the video games (LIZ). Some of the health concerns are that they can cause a heart disease known as cardiovascular disease. It can also lea d to Diabetes type II as well psychological and attention problems. The more time the children spend in front of the screen the more likely that their attention level will go down, and they are likely to get psychological problems (UK).third disadvantage is that, the children spending time in front of a screen during leisure hours risk their social relationships (LIZ). When will the children ever socialize with their peers in the case that they spend free time inside in front of a screen? It is quite difficult for them to get quality time with their friends. In case that they get time to interact with them, they will not cope well. It is because of the reality in the screens that are different from the one in the real world.The other disadvantage which is shocking is that, watching television shortens life (Martin). The researchers estimate that, every hour of watching television shortens one life with 22 minutes. Who would love that? Sincerely, none would wish to have their life sh ortened, but that is what happens with increased Screen-use. The researcher warns that, those who sit in front of a seat to watch the screen for prolonged hours, they increase chances of dying early.The other disadvantage is for the toddlers who are yet to understand anything. The screen is said to have negative effects on their brain development according to the research conducted by the doctors (UK). The doctorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s advice that the toddlers need to face lives the hard way. Introducing them to the screens that make life easier for them may not be the right thing to do. Screen is a challenge to brain development. They doctors advice that, if the children have to be exposed to the screens, then duration of time should be reduced.The last disadvantage, though not the least is that, the children tend to copy some of the behaviors presented in the screens, such as in the television, which are not admirable (reporter). Some of these behaviors may not be morally right, or they may pass a negative effect to the children. Some of the scenarios that may not be suitable for the children include the wrestling. The children will want to practice some of the events that they have seen in the screen. Wathcing such programs can lead to a fight among the peers, in the efforts of trying to practice what they have seen in the screenThere are also advantages that emanate from the use ofa screen during leisure times for the children in UK. The first yet the key advantage is, watching the screen helps improve on the knowledge of a child (Catherine). Although, this is limited to the specific programs that the children are exposed to. Some of the screen programs in a television may help a child to learn what certain behaviors are and how they develop. It helps them to increase on their knowledge on basics as the counting of words and alphabet.The second advantage is that, the world has become technologic, and using of the screen by the people of UK during leisure time is the only way to ensure that they are relevant with technology (LIZ). Most of the screens are digital items. Examples include the smart phones, a television, and computers.The last advantage is that, screen makes work easier. Screens include items like a mobile phone which makes communication with people in far places easy (LIZ). It includes other items as computer, which in the presence of the computer can access many things from the globe. Those are but the advantages of staying inside in front of a screen.The discussion clearly illustrates that, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. It is conclusive that, that the screen has more bad than good to the people, and more so the children in the UK. The alternative of staying inside would be staying outside. Inside, the main work is staying in front of a screen, and that is not the same case in the outside. In the outside, there are many advantages than disadvantages as compared to the inside. The outside activities which can are doabl e during free time are the alternatives of staying inside in front of a screen.These alternatives are many, and if taken advantage of, much better results can be realized out of the free time. The first alternative is exercise. This is a physical practice for the body which is doable for fitness (UK). The screen is known to cause health problems that are best done away with by going to the gym to do exercise, going for aerobic sessions to ensure fitness and staying way from lifestyle diseases.The other alternative is that, the children can study for their examinations. Research indicates that, most students spend most of their times in free time in screen as compared to the amount of time in studies (Martin). If the children could invest in educating themselves during the free time, then the world would better place t...