Jewish Identity

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses the general concept of identity and then examines Jewish identity in particular. The paper relates that Jews had always regarded themselves as God's "chosen people" while the negative Jewish identity of a "treacherous," "vile" and "wrong headed" people was created during the rise of Christianity. The paper looks at Jewish identity in the Middle Ages and notes the better treatment under Muslims than under the Christians. The paper discusses Jewish identity in modern times and identifies enlightenment, anti-Semitism and Zionism as the most influential forces on modern Jewish identity.

Outline:
The Concept of Identity
Jewish Identity: An Overview

From the Paper:

"The question of Jewish identity, or the way in which Jews perceive themselves and how others view them, has not been easy to answer for most parts of Jewish history. This is mainly because Jews are not easily categorized. They are not a race as they do not share a common ancestry and people of different races have become Jews over the years. They are neither a nationality, having been dispersed throughout the world for over two thousand years. Even as a religion, Judaism is not a pure religious faith like Christianity or Islam, since it has an ethnic dimension and it does not easily assimilate outsiders."

Sample of Sources Used:

• "History of the Jews." (n.d.) History World. Retrieved on April 5, 2007 from http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?groupid=413&HistoryID=aa42
• Meyer, M. A. (1990). Jewish Identity in the Modern World. Seattle: University of Washington Press.
• Sacks, J. (1997, November). "Love, Hate and Jewish Identity." First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life 26+.

More papers on Jewish Identity:

• Essay # 27579 : "Holocaust and Jewish Identity"
• Essay # 1296 : "Theme of Hidden Identity in the Film "Europa Europa"
• Book Review # 88838 : "Jewish Identity and Cultural Crisis in 1908 Vienna"

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