The history of the Jewish people, one of the oldest nations in the world, has four millennia. The people, having lost their statehood, living outside their historical homeland for two thousand years, scattered all over the world, able to adapt to any living conditions, managed to preserve religion, customs, their national essence. Forced migration spawned new forms of art, preserving typically Jewish. Therefore, any review of Jewish art is a review of the universal, as it is seen by the eyes of the Jews. Such a view helps to look into the cultures of different times of peoples, as well as penetrate into the world of exclusively Jewish concerns, holidays, ideals. The resettlement of Jews around the world led to the development of various styles that arose under the influence of the art of the countries in which they lived. And although a single Jewish style does not exist, the rites and cults in different communities were the same. For all of the above reasons, choosing a Jewish culture as an essay topic is a good idea. The main thing to mention is certain key points about Jewish culture that we will tell you about.
1. Write about Historical Memory in the Collective Jewish Consciousness
The collective memory of the Jewish people is expressed in written sources compiled by ancient generations. These are Tanah, Talmud, aggadic literature, mystical, philosophical, and halachic works of the Middle Ages, Jewish literature of the New Age. This national memory is supported by the Jewish way of life, refreshed by a year-long cycle of Jewish holidays, and encourages each new generation to experience communion with the past. Without a doubt, your classmates and professor will be interested to read about it.
2. Describe Jewish Rites
Happy and sad moments in the life of Jews were surrounded by rituals. Ritual-related items reinforced traditions and strengthened a sense of unity with the entire community. An example is a ceremony in honor of the birth of a child. During the ceremony of ransom by the father from the mother of the first newborn son, the child was placed on a silver dish decorated with ornaments. At the thirteenth year, on his birthday, the boy becomes responsible for the observance of the commandments and from childhood passes to adulthood.
Another rite that will be very interesting is the rite of ablution. The rite of ablution takes place with the help of a tall cylindrical vessel called Laver. A vessel is made of copper and silver with a pair of handles on one side. But if you are not very good at this and don’t know a lot about Jewish culture, you can visit the essay writing website, click the “write my essay” button, and don’t worry anymore because professionals will do everything for you.
3. Describe Jewish Clothing
In all historical epochs and everywhere it was difficult to distinguish a Jew from the rest by clothing. As elsewhere, Jews sought to adopt the clothes of the area where they lived, however, some of the characteristic features in their clothes can still be seen – in frescoes and mosaics in Dura-Euros, made in the III century in Mesopotamia. Then the Jews wore a long dress and conical hats. The same robes depict Jews on a manuscript: “Moses hands the Torah to the Israelites,” located in the museum of the city of Leipzig and on the bas-relief of the Nuremberg Cathedral in Germany.
You can also mention the importance of headgear in Jewish culture. Men wear a small headdress called a yarmulke or a kippah on their heads. Often, breaking the law, men wore and continue to wear fashionable hats. Young people who adhere to laws these days wear a kippah under baseball caps. Wearing a headdress in women is of biblical origin, this is an expression of modesty. Women can wear shawls, capes. Usually, Jewish women adopted models of hats from others. Ultra-Orthodox Jewish women adhere to tradition and shave their heads. At the same time, they can wear wigs, but in any case, the head should be covered with a scarf. Without a doubt, your professor will be interested to know about this.
4. Write about the Jewish Holidays
Jewish holidays are something unimaginable. The peculiarity of the Jewish calendar is that it has as many as four New Years, and not one of them falls on the first of January. An explanation of this oddity can also be found in tradition. The fact is that in the times preceding the scattering of the Jewish people, there were several important annual cycles for the whole people, the counting of which began from certain dates. The rules establishing these cycles, over time, acquired the status of the commandments. There were 4 such cycles and, therefore, four New Years.
Summing up
The millennial history, the diversity of ethnic groups living side by side, as well as the flow of information from abroad via satellite and cable television, have contributed to the development of Israeli culture, combining elements of cosmopolitanism with a pronounced distinctive character. Israel’s art is as diverse as its people – literature, theater, pop, radio and television, museums and exhibitions meet all tastes and interests. As we have already said, describing Jewish culture in your essay is a brilliant idea, and if you also include the points we talked about, then you are guaranteed a good grade.