Download The Hebrews and Judaism

The Hebrews and Judaism
Judaism Over the Centuries
Revolt, Defeat and Migration
• The Zealots were the most
rebellious of the Jews. They
believed they were to only
answer to God and refused to
follow Roman rule. They urged
other Jews to rise up and in AD
66, they revolted.
Revolt Against Rome
• Led by the Zealots, they fought
bravely, but in the end would not
succeed. The revolt lasted 4 years
and caused much damage. Jerusalem
was in ruins and the Romans had
even burned the 2nd Temple in the
last days of conflict.
Revolt Against Rome
• After the temple was destroyed,
many lost the will to fight. Still,
1,000 Zealots locked
themselves away in a mountain
fortress called Masada. The
Romans would send 15,000
soldiers to capture them.
Masada
• Masada was hard to reach, and the
Romans mad a huge earth ramp to
get to it. The Zealots refused to
surrender for 2 years. Finally, as the
Romans finally broke through, the
Zealots took their own lives rather
than be Roman slaves.
Results of the Revolt
• With the capture of Masada, the
Jewish revolt was over. As
punishment, the Romans killed most
of the citizens of Jerusalem and took
many of the surviving Jews to Rome
as slaves. The Romans had made
their presence absolute.
Results of the Revolt
• Many of those not taken as slaves left Jerusalem after the destruction of the
temple. They went to other Jewish settlements in the Roman Empire and another
popular destination was Alexandria, Egypt. These other communities grew after
the destruction of Jerusalem.
Roman Empire
A Second Revolt
• Some Jews who stayed grew weary of
Roman rule and again would revolt
some 60 years later. In AD 130,
Rome will once again defeat the Jews
and then ban them from Jerusalem.
This would spur the migration of
many more Jews throughout the
Mediterranean region.
Migration and Discrimination
• The nature of Judaism would change with the departure from Jerusalem and the
Temple. Synagogues would become much more important. Rabbi’s or teachers
would take a greater role in guiding the religious lives of the Jews, as they were
responsible for interpreting the Torah. These changes are directly linked to
Yohanan ben Zaccai, a rabbi that founded a school at Yavneh. Here, he taught
people about Judaism and trained rabbis. These teachings would shape the way
Judaism was practiced and made rabbis the leaders of many communities.
Moving Because …
• Over many centuries, Jews would
move to other parts of the world.
Many times this was not a voluntary
move. Other religious groups would
discriminate against them and even
promote violence forcing Jews to
move. Eventually, they would move
to all areas of Europe, Asia and the
US.
Two Cultural Traditions
• After the Diaspora (remember that),
Jews still shared basic beliefs of one
God and the laws found in the sacred
texts and there observance.
However, regional traditions,
customs and languages emerged
creating two main cultural traditions.
The Jews in Eastern Europe
• One of the traditions is Ashkenazim
– descendants of Jews who moved to
France, Germany and Eastern Europe.
Most of these communities were
removed from non-Jews. These folks
would develop their own traditions
and language – Yiddish is an
example.
The Jews in Spain and Portugal
• Another Jewish culture
developed in Western Europe,
Spain and Portugal. They are
called the Sephardim. They too
have their own language,
Ladino, a mix of Spanish,
Hebrew and Arabic.
Sephardim
• Unlike the Ashkenazim, the
Sephardim mixed with their
neighbors. As a result, their culture
has borrowed from others. Known
for their writings, they were part of a
Golden Age from 1000 to 1100 AD.
This period saw great works in
poetry, writing, math, medicine,
astronomy and philoshophy.
Traditions and Holy Days
• Jewish culture is one of the oldest and Jews have a strong connection with the past.
They feel this connection to the past will help them follow the teachings of the
faith. These traditions and Holy Days help them understand and celebrate their
history.
Hanukkah
• Hanukkah celebrated around
Christmastime for us, is the Festival
of Light and has to do with the
rededication of the Temple by the
Maccabees. They only had enough
oil for the lamp to stay lit one night,
but it lasted 8. Today Jews use a
menorah to mark the event and small
gifts are given each night.
Sukkoth
•
a Jewish festival beginning on the 15th day o
f the
month of Tishri and celebrated for nine days
by
Orthodox and Conservative Jews outside of I
srael
and for eight days by Reform Jews and by Je
ws in Israel that celebrates the harvest and
commemorates the period during which the
Jews
wandered in the wilderness after the Exodus,
marked by the building of sukkoth.
Passover
• Passover is celebrated in the Spring
and celebrates the Jews Exodus from
Egypt, remembering the night the
Angel of Death passed over the
Jewish homes, not taking their first
born as those of Egyptians. A seder is
celebrated and only unleavened
bread is consumed.
High Holy Days
• High Holy Days are the two most sacred holidays and take
place in the fall. The first is Rosh Hashanah that celebrate the
coming of the new year. Yom Kippur, the day of Atonement,
is the holiest of holidays. This is where Jews fast and pray all
day and ask God for forgiveness. Yom Kippur dates back to
the time of the 2nd Temple.
To Sum Up …
• Exit: What is your impression of High Holy Days celebrations?
• Stay Tuned Next Time for Review!