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History of Judaism
The History of Judaism is the history of the Jewish people, their religion and culture, tracing back to the Biblical patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob of the 18th c. BCE. The earliest mention of Israel as a people was discovered in an inscription on the Merneptah Stele from the 1200s BCE.
1,396 Questions
Why did Ethiopian Jews have to go through a special conversion to be recognized as Jews in Israel?
The conversion ritual required of Ethiopians relates to doubts about their identity.
The "Jewishness" of the Ethiopian Jews has been called into question, although to talk about this today in Israel would be considered very politically incorrect, since Ethiopian Jews have been accepted and integrated into Israeli society. Ultimately, the rabbis decided that they were "real" Jews, but not without controversy. For one, many if not most of the Ethiopian Jews had converted (or perhaps been forced to convert) to Christianity. Power in Ethiopia has been split between Christians and Muslims over much of the last 500 years, and many Jews had to choose sides, while retaining what are often described as "primitive" Jewish traditions. So what remains of the ritual is there ostensibly to cleanse the taint of other religions.
But really, the ritual can most accurately be described as a compromise between a minority of rabbis who don't believe that Ethiopians are "real" Jews, and a majority that has accepted them. The minority - which again is espousing a sort of right-wing view, with the usual issues (and keeping in mind the issue of race, always in the background) - cites modern DNA evidence that conclusively proves that Ethiopian Jews are genetically related to Ethiopians, not Jews, and thus the unlikelihood of the traditional history that identifies Ethiopian Jews as the descendants of the lost tribe of Dan (or alternatively, the offspring of a mating between King Soloman and Queen Sheeba, undocumented in the Bible but an oft-repeated legend in the Ethiopian historical canon).
Despite this controversy, the Ethiopians have status as Jews since 1973 in Israel and almost all 120,000 of them now live there, where they are well-integrated. The ceremony is a last vestige of more draconian requirements from the past (involving ritual circumcisions), and will likely fade into history as about a third of Ethiopian Jews alive today were born in Israel.
Judaism's most important texts?
The writings of Judaism may be divided into several categories. These include: the Tanakh, the Talmud, the other works of our early sages, and the works of later Rabbis.
The Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) is also called "the Written Torah," in contrast to the Oral Torah, which is the body of tradition that was handed down orally for some 1500 years, and only after that put in writing, so as not to be forgotten in times of exile. The Oral Torah is contained in the Talmud, which is a multi-volume compendium of Jewish traditions, law, history, and sayings of the early Jewish Sages.
The other works of the early sages include the midrashim (expounding upon the Tanakh), and the Zohar (a mystical commentary on the Torah).
The works of later Rabbis include books on Jewish outlook and belief, such as the Emunot VeDeot (8th century CE) and the Kuzari (11th century); books on halakhah (Jewish law), such as the Yad Hachazakah (12th century) and the Shulchan Arukh (16th century); books on piety, such as the Noam Elimelekh and the Mesillat Yesharim (18th century); books on ethics, such as the Maalot Hamidot and the Hafetz Chaim (19th century), and much more.
Contents of the Written Torah:
The Jewish holy book is the Tanakh (Jewish Bible), containing the Torah and the prophetic books.
Tanakh is a Hebrew acronym of T, N, K which stands for the three parts of the Tanakh: Torah, Nevi'im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings).
A) The Torah, also called the Pentateuch, is the primary Jewish holy book. It is comprised of the five Books of Moses (also called the Books of the Law). The Torah was given by God to Moses (Exodus 24:12), who transmitted it to the people and wrote it (Deuteronomy 31:24). Its chief purpose is to teach the laws of Judaism; and it also teaches us historical highlights, attitudes, guidance, beliefs and more.
1-5: The Torah (the Five Books of Moses):
1) Bereisheet (Genesis)
2) Shemot (Exodus)
3) Vayikra (Leviticus)
4) Bamidbar (Numbers)
5) Devarim (Deuteronomy)
B) Nevi'im, The Prophets. The Jews see the book of Prophets as the Divinely-inspired story of their past and the relationship between God and Israel.
The prophets were called upon by God to guide the people and to guide the king. While the king had authority in national matters of state, and the Sanhedrin (Sages) had say in Torah-rulings and halakha (law), the prophets spoke in matters of ethics, of belief, of loyalty to God, and behavior. They rebuked the people at God's command, they predicted events which God revealed to them, they taught through Divine inspiration, and they provided optimism and hope with the prophecies of eventual Redemption.
Jewish tradition (Talmud, Bava Batra 14b) states that the prophetic books were written by the authors whose names they bear: Joshua, Samuel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, etc. Judges is credited to Samuel, Kings was written by Jeremiah. The Prophets contain a total of 8 books according to the Jewish count.
6-9: The Nevi'im Rishonim (the Early Prophets):
6) Yehoshua (Joshua)
7) Shoftim (Judges)
8) Shemuel (Samuel I and II)
9) Melachim (Kings I and II)
10-13: The Nevi'im Acharonim (the Later Prophets):
10) Yeshayahu (Isaiah)
11) Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah)
12) Yechezkel (Ezekiel)
13) Trei Asar ("The Twelve Prophets" or Minor Prophets)
Books and Prophets within Trei Asar:
Hoshea (Hosea)
Yoel (Joel)
Amos
Ovadiah (Obadiah)
Yonah (Jonah)
Michah (Micah)
Nahum
Havakkuk (Habakkuk)
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
C) Ketuvim, Writings. The Ketuvim contains the remaining History Books: Daniel, Lamentations, and others.
Some of these prophetical chapters (or books) detail Israelite history and past events, some predict events, some serve to comfort the nation, some speak of prayer and love of God, and some speak of life, experience and wisdom.
Jewish tradition (Talmud, Bava Batra 14b) states that the prophetic books were written by the authors whose names they bear: Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, etc. Ruth was written by Samuel; Lamentations was written by Jeremiah; Psalms was set in writing by King David; Chronicles was written by Ezra; Proverbs, Song of Songs and Kohellet (Ecclesiastes) were written by King Solomon; and Esther was written by Mordecai and Esther. Concerning Job, the Talmud states more than one opinion as to when it was written. The Writings consists of 11 books by the Jewish count:
14-16: The "Sifrei Emet"
14) Tehillim (Psalms)
15) Mishlei (Proverbs)
16) Iyov (Job)
17-21: The "Five Megilot" (Five Scrolls)
17) Shir Hashirim (Song of Songs)
18) Ruth
19) Eichah (Lamentations)
20) Kohelet (Ecclesiastes)
21) Esther
22-24: The rest of the Writings:
22) Daniel
23) Ezra-Nehemiah
24) Divrei Hayamim (Chronicles I and II)
Further information:
The term "Torah" can refer loosely to the entire Jewish Bible.
Tradition places the sealing of the Tanakh's canon around 340 BCE.
Why does the KKK hate the Jews?
Because the klan hates everyone not like them. Klu Klux Klan <-------
The answer that you're looking for is "Rabbi Johanan ben Zakkai."
However, there is a mistake in your question, or its perceived answer. Rabbi Johanan did not found the Torah-academy in Yavneh. Rather, it had already existed, and he bolstered it with hundreds of additional disciples.
Was the black plague started by Jews?
No. Unfortunately, though, it was a prevalent view in the Middle Ages that Jews caused the Black Plague through secret Jewish sorcery.
Of course, science has revealed that the Black Plague was spread by fleas living on rats and biting people. The Black Plague was also spread by coughing and when the pustules were touched (presumably to "heal" the person).
What was ancient Israelite society?
Originally Israel was ruled in tribes and directed by a prophet. After Moses Israel begins to have Judges who were supposed to be righteous leaders. That didn't work out all the time as there were occasionally wicked judges. After Samuel, we see Israel switching to having Kings to be more like the other nations around. An interesting correlation is that as the form of government moved from tribal Israel to Kings, the Old Testament records the slow degradation of Israel. As long as there were righteous rulers, things worked out okay, but as soon as the rulers fell, the nation as a whole was allowed to fall into captivity.
In ancient Israel there was a war between Israel and the Philistines to control Canaan. The first Israeli sovereign was Saul in around 1020 BC but he was not able to defeat the Philistines. David was the second king and he defeated the Philistines and captured Jerusalem. David was a great monarch for 40 years. His son Solomon became king when Israel was in peace and he helped Israel to grow. Israel became separated to two kingdoms called Israel and Judah for 200 years. Babylon took over Judah and kicked the Israelis out until 540 BC when Cyrus the Great let the Jews return to Judah. The Jews used religion to make the laws. In 400 BC a priest named Ezra helped write the Torah which became the laws of the Israelite people. The Torah is considered the words of God.
Who does the Bible say the Jews will be persecuted by?
The lews will be persecuted by the heathen, enemy nations, foreign nations, all people, and especially by the descendants of Ishmael, Edom, and Esau. In short, everyone would persecute the jews.
They were warned repeatedly that they would be cursed if they were not faithful to their covenant with God and what those curses would be and by whom. (They can't say they weren't warned). Deuteronomy 28:15 KJV (v.15) But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:
Deuteronomy 28:47-50 KJV (v.47) Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things;
(v.48) Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemieswhich the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.(v.49) The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; (v.50) A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young:
Deuteronomy 28:64 KJV (v.64) And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.
Leviticus 26:33 KJV (v.33) And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.
Deuteronomy 28:64-65 KJV (v.64) And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone. (v.65) And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind:
Leviticus 26:33 KJV (v.33) And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.
Deuteronomy 29:21-23 KJV (v.21) And the LORD shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this book of the law: (v.22) So that the generation to come of your children that shall rise up after you, and the stranger that shall come from a far land, shall say, when they see the plagues of that land, and the sicknesses which the LORD hath laid upon it; (v.23) And that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the LORD overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath:
Genesis 27:40-43 KJV (v.40) And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck. (v.41) And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob. (v.42) And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee. (v.43)Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran;
And don't forget the anti-semitism of many of the the Christian churches, denominations, and leaders throughout history. For example, Luther was amti-semitic.
ANOTHER ANSWER;
The only Scriptures in which the word "Jews" is used in context with "persecution" are the ones in which "it is the Jews who are DOING the persecuting"... of God's churches! According to God's Word, it's the Jews in their inability to discern the Truth of the Scriptures whom Stephen reveals as the persecutors.
"...'You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the Truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? But your ancestors did, and so do you! NAME ONE PROPHET YOUR ANCESTORS DIDN'T PERSECUTE! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One - the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered. You DELIBERATELY DISOBEY GOD'S LAW [you deliberately 'sin' - see I John 3:4], though you received it from the hands of angels. The Jewish leaders were INFURIATED BY STEPHEN'S ACCUSATION, and they shook their fists in rage..." (Acts.7:51-55 NLT New Living Translation)
Paul himself confessed that, before his own conversion, that he was one of [if not THE] WORST OF THE PERSECUTORS:
"...'I am verily a man WHICH AM A JEW... brought up... at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and WAS ZEALOUS TOWARD GOD, AS YE ALL ARE THIS DAY. And I PERSECUTED THIS WAY UNTO THE DEATH, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women..." (Acts 22:3-4 KJV).
Same verses [NLT]: "...'I am a Jew... brought up... here in Jerusalem under Gamaliel. At his feet I learned to follow our Jewish laws and customs very carefully. I became very zealous to honor God in everything I did just as all of you are today. And I PERSECUTED THE FOLLOWERS OF THE WAY, hounding some to death, binding and delivering both men and women to prison...".
Paul confessed: "...'many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I PERSECUTED THEM even unto strange cities." (Acts 26:10-11 KJV)
Same verses [NLT]: "...Authorized by the leading priests, I caused many of the believers in Jerusalem to be sent to prison. And I cast my vote against them when they were condemned to death. Many times I had them whipped in the synagogues to try to get them to curse Christ. I was so violently opposed to them that I even hounded them in distant cities of foreign lands."
It is not just the Jews who ARE the persecutors, however, but ANY who don't Know and Understand the Truth of God's Word.
"For God, who commanded the Light to shine out of darkness, hath SHINED IN OUR HEARTS, to GIVE THE LIGHT OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE GLORY OF GOD IN THE FACE OF JESUS CHRIST. (II Cor.4:6 KJV)
"But this precious treasure - this Light and Power that now shine WITHIN US - is held in perishable containers, that is, in our weak bodies. So everyone can see that our Glorious Power IS FROM GOD and is not our own. WE ARE PRESSED [persecuted - KJV] on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed, but we do not give up and quit. We are hunted down [persecuted - KJV], but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going. Through suffering, these bodies of ours constantly share in the death of Christ so that the Life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. Yes, we live under CONSTANT DANGER OF DEATH because WE SERVE JESUS, so that the Life of Jesus will be obvious in our dying bodies. So we live in the face of death, but IT HAS RESULTED IN ETERNAL LIFE FOR YOU." (II Cor.4:7-12 NLT)
The Bible talks more about God's churches being persecuted by any and all outsiders [whether Jew or Gentile] for Knowing, Understanding, and Obeying the Scriptures... not the persecution of the Jews. And some of the worst persecutors turn out to be from within God's churches themselves... with Paul, one of, if not THE, churches' greatest leaders, being perhaps THE worst persecutor of all!
"For I am THE LEAST OF ALL THE APOSTLES, and I AM NOT WORTHY TO BE CALLED AN APOSTLE AFTER THE WAY I PERSECUTED THE CHURCH OF GOD. But WHATEVER I AM NOW, it is all because God poured out His Special Favor on me..." (I Cor.15:9-10 NLT).
"These people [antichrists, all - see verse 18] LEFT OUR CHURCHES BECAUSE THEY NEVER REALLY BELONGED WITH US; otherwise THEY WOULD HAVE STAYED WITH US, When THEY LEFT US, it PROVED THAT THEY DO NOT BELONG WITH US. But you are not like that, for the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and ALL OF YOU KNOW THE TRUTH. So I am writing to you not because you don't Know the Truth but because you Know the difference between Truth and falsehood." I John 2:19 NLT)
The persecutors recorded in the Bible are the ones who don't Know and Understand the Truth of the Scriptures [which only God can truly reveal to a humble, contrite, and trembling heart - see Isa.66:2].
What factors limited Jewish immigration to the US?
The primary limiting factor for Jews to immigrate to the United States was simply the will and cost of immigrating. After that, the next largest impediment was the quotas set up by the US in the 1920s to bar Eastern and Central European immigration (which also included Jews among Germans, Poles, Ukrainians, Czechs, and Slovaks).
Ruth 1:16 from the 21st Century King James Version--
16And Ruth said: "Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee; for whither thou goest, I will go, and where thou lodgest, I will lodge. Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God..."
These verses are often used in wedding vows, which is cool, but they were said from a daughter-in-law to her mother-in-law. Not many would say these words to members of their own families much more to in-laws. That's what really makes this passage so moving to me.
Is the Syrian Civil War a Western and-or Zionist Conspiracy?
No, of course not.
Claim Made by Conspiracy Theorists
Those who make the claim usually center on three distinct elements:
1) History of Imperialism: This holds that there is a drive by Westerners to prevent the realization of a united Arab polity. The argument holds that if Syria is weakened militarily, it will be in a much weaker economic, political, and social position. Additionally, it is argued that Western powers want access to Syria because of its resources.
2) Iranian-American Proxy War: This holds that Iran and the US are going to war in a number of different places by mobilizing different armies to fight for them. The Israel-Hezbollah War in 2006 and the current Syrian Civil War are outgrowths of the proxy war.
3) Israeli Desire to Retain the Golan: Israel is required by UNSC Resolution 242 to return the Golan Heights to Syria in response to a peace treaty between the countries. Netanyahu and Assad were in negotiations in 2011 to resolve this issue before the Syrian Civil War broke out.
Refutation of Claim Made
However, each of these arguments is (1) circumstantial and (2) divorced from the actual events going on in Syria. Concerning Imperialism, while the West continues to interact with the Arab countries in a non-equal manner, such as not recognizing an Arab Common Market and conducting diplomacy with each Arab country as the entire European Union, European nations have not put boots in the ground in Syria, nor have they made significant contributions to any of the parties in the conflict. There are also minimal natural or strategic resources in Syria and most European governments did quite well with Assad for what minimal benefits Syria could provide, further demonstrating why political imperialism was not necessary. Concerning the Iranian-American proxy war, the United States has only supported the Free Syrian Army with words and slogans, not actual funds, so it cannot be said that they are a US proxy. Concerning Israel and the Golan Heights, not even the regime argues that its opponents (who it has characteristically labeled as "Zionist Western Usurper Terrorists") are interested in derailing negotiations with Israel. Israel and the Israeli public actually preferred Assad in power since he was the evil they knew as opposed to the evil that they did not know (any new Syrian government). Additionally, since any other Syrian regime would be more hostile to Israel (either because of the greater anti-Zionist stance of the population in a democracy or the anti-Zionist views of Islamists), Israel has little interest in replacing a "peaceful" anti-Zionist Assad with a probably militant anti-Zionist new Syria.
Actual Causes of the Conflict
The actual case is that the Syrian Civil War is a direct result of conditions within Syria finally coming to the boiling point. The Syrian people historically opposed the Assad dynasty and this culminated in the Hama Massacre in which 10,000-40,000 Syrians were brutally murdered by Hafez Assad. This act of cruelty and barbarity inflamed anti-regime passions but also crushed any hope that they might have for success. Hope for changes in Syria was rekindled by the Arab Spring's successes in Tunisia and Egypt in overthrowing their dictators.
The situation would have remained peaceful, but like Libya, the government decided to use military force to repress the protesters. Unfortunately while the Libyans received military assistance from the West leading to a short and quick war to assert popular authority over a ruthless dictator, the Syrians were not lucky enough to get to get Westerners to help them in securing democracy. This happened for two main reasons: the Syrians took to arms one week after NATO forces had committed to Libya, making them more resistant to committing to fight a new conflict in Syria and Syria lacks the oil and natural gas resources that served as effective motivation to bring stability to Libya. The lack of Western involvement in Syria has led to the escalation of the conflict since neither side has a clear advantage. This has only been exacerbated by Iranian support for the Regime, Saudi support for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, and Turkish support for the Free Syrian Army. If anything, it is a Middle Eastern proxy war between Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey for control of the Islamic Middle East being waged in Syria.
The greatest crime in the Roman lexicon was that of rebellion. They were constantly concerned that rebellion might spread unrest throughout all of their colonies. Judea was centrally located and possessed a populace with religious motivation and with belief in Redemption. Background: Hyrcanus and Aristobulus, the two sons of the Jewish King Yannai (Johanan Hyrcanus, 1st century BCE), got the Romans involved in Judea when they asked them to settle a dispute. At first the Romans were cordial; and they actually became party to a military treaty with Judea (Talmud, Avodah Zara 8b). The Romans didn't interfere much in Jewish internal matters, because the main thing that they wanted was taxes and a quiet populace. In the first two centuries CE, things got worse, with the Romans destroying Jerusalem and the Second Temple after the Jewish Zealots attempted to revolt. The Romans sold hundreds of thousands of Jews into slavery (Josephus). From time to time they forbade the observance of the Torah-commands, and they killed several of the leading Sages, despite the fact that the Torah-leaders had advised against revolt (Talmud, Gittin 56a). Later, Simeon Bar Kochba led a second revolt, in an ill-advised attempt to recreate the independent Judea. The Romans responded by destroying Betar. See also:
A couple of decades later, however, they unilaterally abrogated the treaty, and placed Roman governors over the land who afflicted the Jews with crushing taxation (Talmud, Yoma 9a).
What was the Jewish literacy rate during the Holocaust?
Very high indeed. The Jews have traditionally attached great importance to education. Even in the Nazi ghettos they did their utmost to provide some schooling for the children.
Yes, religious Jews think about God and follow His teachings and instructions.
Do orthodox Jews reject zionism?
This is a complicated issue, as most Orthodox Jews have mixed feelings toward Zionism. Before the founding of Israel almost all of Orthodox Judaism rejected Zionism. As a movement in Europe, it was largely anti-religious. After the founding of Israel many Orthodox groups half-heartedly accepted Zionism as a necessary evil, seeing them as the only force able to prevent a second Holocaust at the hands of the Arabs. However, many Orthodox Jews openly denounce Zionism and even those that don't publicly tend to privately. Nowadays, the majority of Orthodox Jews participate in Israeli politics, voting and running for office. They do so more out of necessity than out of belief in the system.
It is important to note that while the overwhelming majority of Orthodox Jews feel a kinship to their Jewish brethren in Israel, they do not believe it to be a "Jewish State" since it was not formed by the Messiah nor does it espouse Religious Jewish Law.
Why is it bad if a Jew converts to Christianity?
Pogroms - that is mob violence against Jews - are associated in particular with Tsarist Russia in the period 1881-1914, when they were often actively encouraged by the police. Obviously, there have been other pogroms in other places and in other periords, too.
Elie Weisel Book Night Mans conflict with his environment. What does this mean?
If you've ever heard of the typical types of conflicts in literature, this is what the question is addressing.
Man vs Man (an argument with another person)
Man vs Self (struggling to make a decision, guilt, internal conflict of emotions)
or what you need: man vs environment (struggling to survive in a harsh living environment)
So in his biography, Elie spends time in various concentration camps where he must fight starvation and other PHYSICAL obstacles in order to "win" his conflict
Yes, ben bernanke is a zionist just like most of the Obama regime..along with bernanke being a zionist you also have rahm emanuel and david axlerod..two other white house members who have the president's ear.
Most of America's political leadership is Zionist: believing that the Jews should have political self-sovereignty and is the patriotic sentiment behind the Establishment of the State of Israel.
Unfortunately, many people use the term "Zionism" to refer to a non-existent cabal of Jews who "control the world". As such a cabal does not actually exist, Ben Bernanke cannot be a part of it.
What was the Zionism Resolution from November 1975?
This question is likely referring to UN General Assembly Resolution 3379 which condemned Zionism as a form of Racism. In December of 1991 it was reversed by UNGA Resolution 4686.
The Resolution 3379 Text is below:
The General Assembly,
Recalling its resolution 1904 (XVIII) of 20 November 1963, proclaiming the United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and in particular its affirmation that "any doctrine of racial differentiation or superiority is scientifically false, morally condemnable, socially unjust and dangerous" and its expression of alarm at "the manifestations of racial discrimination still in evidence in some areas in the world, some of which are imposed by certain Governments by means of legislative, administrative or other measures",
Recalling also that, in its resolution 3151 G (XXVIII) of 14 December 1973, the General Assembly condemned, inter alia, the unholy alliance
between South African racism and zionism,
Taking note of the Declaration of Mexico on the Equality of Women and Their Contribution to Development and Peace 1975, proclaimed by the World Conference of the International Women's Year, held at Mexico City from 19 June to 2 July 1975, which promulgated the principle that "international co-operation and peace require the achievement of national liberation and independence, the elimination of colonialism and neo-colonialism
, foreign occupation, zionism, apartheid
and racial discrimination in all its forms, as well as the recognition of the dignity of peoples and their right to self-determination",
Taking note also of resolution 77 (XII) adopted by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity
at its twelfth ordinary session, held at Kampala from 28 July to 1 August 1975, which considered "that the racist regime in occupied Palestine
and the racist regime in Zimbabwe and South Africa have a common imperialist origin, forming a whole and having the same racist structure and being organically linked in their policy aimed at repression of the dignity and integrity of the human being",
Taking note also of the Political Declaration and Strategy to Strengthen International Peace and Security and to Intensify Solidarity and Mutual Assistance among Non-Aligned Countries, adopted at the Conference of Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Non-Aligned Countries held at Lima from 25 to 30 August 1975, which most severely condemned zionism as a threat to world peace and security and called upon all countries to oppose this racist and imperialist ideology,
Determines that Zionism is a form of racism and racial discrimination.
How did religion help shape the Israelites' culture as presented in the Torah?
The culture of the Israelites was the Torah.
The Torah and the Prophets played a vast role in the shaping of Israelite (Jewish) culture, because they are Judaism. They define it. Judaism entails living according to them. The Hebrew Bible reiterated the teachings of Abraham (Talmud, Yoma 28b) and codified their exact details; and at Mount Sinai, the Israelites accepted as obligatory what had until then been national custom. The Torah and Prophets have shaped our ways of thinking and provided a national legal code:
Practicing kindness and avoiding dishonesty became obligatory instead of merely proper.
Agriculture in the Holy Land included tithes to be given to the Levites and Kohens, thus providing for a scholarly class of people. One of the tithes was given to the poor, thus obviating the existence of starvation.
Immorality and incest were legislated against in detail. Instead of instinct or "crimes against nature," they were subsumed into religious law.
The roles of king, prophet, Kohen, Levite, officers and judges were all provided for in the Torah, thus defining the shape of the society and its institutions and providing certain balances.
The Israelite year was filled out with the Sabbaths and national festivals; and they were imbued with the function of worshiping God instead of being secular celebrations.
The judges were commanded to fear God, instead of relying on their skills of jurisprudence alone.
The laws of the Tabernacle (and later the Holy Temple), and commands to love God and fulfill all of the commandments, were written in the Torah together with (and mixed among) the seemingly mundane laws of testimony and witnesses (etc.), in order to convey the message that for us it is all part of religion. Secular life was a foreign concept. For example, a shopkeeper would be constantly aware of the religious laws of maintaining honest scales, giving a tithe to the poor (maaser kesafim), not overcharging, returning lost objects left behind, etc.; and he would set aside times for the daily prayers.
The above are just a few examples.
Hebrew (Israelite) society wasn't perfect. We are human; and as seen in the Prophets, there were times of backsliding and various pitfalls. But to the extent that the people kept their national laws and tradition, the society was exemplary and created a model which has influenced the Western world down to today.
See also:
When did Alexander the Great march through Israel?
Kristallnacht or the Night of Broken Glass in November 1938 changed the tone of Jewish persecution in Nazi Germany from only a legal segregation between Germans and Jews to actual violent persecution, theft, and murder of Jews.
What were Adolf Hitler's ideas and how did he rise to power?
Hitlers ideas were that because they just lost world war 1 the only people we could blame it on was the Jews. Hitler also had a very business type of speech - he could convince anyone that he was right even though he was a.messed up piece of bolonga
Does anyone know the name of that famous nazi hunter with the pageboy haircut?
I think you mean Simon Wiesenthal
Why is God called ''Yahweh'' in Judaism and not ''God''?
The simple issue worth clarifying is that "YHWH" is a name whereas "God" is a function/role. For example, in the days of feudalism, a peasant would say "My Lord, what do you command" and it is obvious that "My Lord" is the function/role of the person he is addressing, not that person's name, which could be Todd or Peter, etc. The same distinction exists between YHWH and God.
