Judaism Report
Judaism has been around since the days of Columbus. There were many different kinds of Jews including Spanish-Portuguese Jews. The Jews were forced to leave Spain and later Portugal, which led to their expansion over the nation. “In 1942, the same year that Columbus sailed, the Jews were expelled from Spain, and in 1947 the same fate befell them in Portugal” (Albanese 42). Over the years Judaism has evolved in many ways, but still holds on to its traditions and beliefs. This report will take a closer look into the history and culture of the religion, the different branches of Judaism and some of the views from the outside world of the religion.
The first Jews came to America and settled in New York and focused on the traditional Babylonian practices. These Jews were knows as the Sephardic Jews and they were also tradesmen. With no place to worship or anybody to lead them, they created the first church in North America. “By 1692, however, they had established the first synagogue in North America…” (Albanese 43). By the year 1820 America found itself to be the home of many more Jewish immigrants. These new Jews were Ashkenazim who practiced a combination of Palestinian and Babylonian traditions.
During Enlightenment the Jews found themselves being more accepted and were starting to gain more freedoms as a group of people. They were able to move out of the poverty areas in which they lived and were able to have better places to live. “This Emancipation, as it was called, slowly eroded the close-knit Jewish communities of the past, as increasing numbers of Jews became middle-class citizens of their respective countries. In America Jews have also contributed by the Reform movement. The Jews worked to create a new sense of their religion by trying to conform to the American society. They expanded their roles and did not limit themselves