Quarter 1 Book Project: The Book Thief
Noah Kunkel
Judaism in American Culture
Judaism in American Culture
Relevant Cultures
- Markus Zusak's novel, The Book Thief, takes place near Munich during World War 2.
- The main character is exposed to Jewish culture when her German foster family harbors a Jew.
Sources
- http://jpsi.org/resources/jewishpractices/
- http://www.pewforum.org/2013/10/01/jewish-american-beliefs-attitudes-culture-survey/
- http://www.pewforum.org/2013/10/01/chapter-4-religious-beliefs-and-practices/
Judaism in America
- Jews account for about 2.2% of adult population in America. (5.3 million)
- 62% of Jews observe Judaism because of ancestry or culture, 15% because of the religion, and 23% a combination of all three.
- Nearly one-in-four U.S. Jewish adults say they attend Jewish religious services at a synagogue or other place of worship at least once a week
- Seven-in-ten U.S. Jews believe in God or a universal spirit. This is controversial though, as some are more or less certain than others.
- Most American Jews regularly participate in Jewish practices, for example a poll by Pew Research center showed that about 70% participate in a Passover Seder.
Jewish Customs
- Jewish law: observing the 613 commandments listed in the Torah
- Types of Judaism:
- Orthodox: traditional approach
- Conservative: emphasizes history to evolve
- Reform: most non-authoritarian, emphasizes ethical value over religious law
- Reconstructionist: emphasizes human values
- Jews observe holidays representative of moral values. People are not supposed to work on these days. Holidays include the High Holy days (Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur), the weekly Sabbath, and Chanukkah.