Jewish Cosmopolitanism in the Modern Era - Essay Example

Jewish Cosmopolitanism in the Modern Era Jews have had one of the longest and most defining histories any other cultural group has experienced. Their history dates back to the days of Jesus, in which they were described as the Chosen Lot. The fame of the Jews grew when Anti-Semitism started developing globally. Historically, the Jewish people dispersed all over the world due to the frequent political misunderstandings and clashes they had in their country. This led to the presence of the Jews all over the world. As the Jews started to prosper in there respective settlements, so did Anti-Semitism grow and developed into one huge monster that today’s history still recalls. Anti-Semitism is defined as the hate towards people of the Semitic group. This hatred is defined in various forms that include cultural, political, economic, religious, racial, and apocalyptic. Milestone events that marked the height of Anti-Semitism included the First Crusade back in 1096, that happened in France and Germany, The Massacre of Jews in Spain in late 1300s, Expulsions from England, Portugal, Russia and Soviet Republic. The peak of all these was the Holocaust by the Germans under Adolf Hitler. All these revolutions were about Jewish clearance due to many aspects relating to Anti-Semitism. The above historical events changed the Jewish perception of themselves. This was from the new definitions that were given of the Jews in the many expulsion revolutions that were Anti-Semitic. General fear of being associated to the Jewish culture with an imagination that the same could eventually happen and the same fate repeat itself allover again is another main cause of change. These two causes have redefined the modern Jews, turning them into a cultureless population spread allover the world, and minority seclusions with respect to discrimination they faced back then. This has caused tremendous assimilation where the current Jewish has turned into a cosmopolitan culture, giving no origin or definition. This paper shall analyze some of the causes that the city has had in the identity-building process that has resulted into the evolution of the traditional Jew into an independent modern-day Jewish Cosmopolitan. The changes of the Jews shall be attributed to the main Anti-Semitic hatred forms that attributed the Jews as unique, thus deserving the hatred they received, and still to some reasonable measure, still receive. These are cultural, economic, religious, political, apocalyptic, and racial perceptions. Major cities in the world are cosmopolitan; meaning that they host diverse cultures, races, religions and tribes. Based on the Anti-Semitic belief by the Jews that predominantly having the desire to exercise the Jewish Culture would lead to the easy identification of Jews, much care is taken. There is also a belief that since the Jews were considered as the Chosen Lot, there was a tendency of them wanting to overturn any other culture and make people assimilate their culture. The result of this fear made the modern-day Jew take up the cultures of various cosmopolitan groups in the city, gifting them with diverse survival tactics that aped all the communities. This gave the modern Jews an upper hand as they were able to interact with all the groups. According to them, this was a survival skill they had to learn in order not to be distinct and conspicuous for any attack from the Anti-Semites. This was good, but eventually, Jews lose their touch with their culture and thus lose there identity too. Judaism, the main Jewish religion, has had a long misunderstanding with Christianity ever since the emergence of Christianity. This misunderstanding arose from various factors that included the differences in beliefs about God, processes and general conduct. This is despite the origin of the two being from the same historical foundation, usually described as the Second Temple period. The dominance of Christianity has, however, outweighed Judaism with statistics showing a population of 2 billion against a paltry 14 million. Cities have always contained a religious population, and with the numbers in Christianity, the majority is obvious. High tendencies of discrimination from the Christians based on historical and traditional matters cause many Jews to shelter under the religions of many other religious groups in cities. However, they secretly carry out Judaic rituals and practices in secret locations that sometimes even act as sects or cults. Some Jews have submerged themselves into foreign religious, thus getting new identities, given that Judaism is one key feature of any Jew. Many cities in the world have for a long time practiced capitalism. Capitalism is defined as a way of living independently and solely doing anything for maximum economic gain with disregard to the effects that the money-making activity will have on others. This rat-race has killed the socialism that the Jewish initially possessed. Instead, they have simulated capitalism, and they have been so far very successful. Modern Jews are known investors, and powerful individuals that are heads of world economic shakers. This same trait aped from the cities of capitalism, has fostered economic anti-Semitism, where anti-Semites view the Jews as superior and unnecessary competitors, yet culturally foreign. Extents have been reached where individuals view Jews as money oriented and obsessed and characters have been sometimes dedicated to Jews as people with greed of Money. This assimilation, though uplifting the economic life of the Jews, has also caused a setback in their struggle to good integration as resentment based on their success has slowly been emerging. The acquisition of capitalism has also erased the conservative nature of socialism of the traditional Jew. For one reason or the other, Jews have always been considered as a race and not a cultural group. These, culminated with the many strong points they have, hugely contributes to their isolation in the major cities they stay. This has hugely contributed to the inner isolation of the Jews where most don’t have the guts to associate with each other, fearing the possibility of being identified and discriminated. This has made the modern Jews acquire unique and independent identities that eventually integrate with other communities in major cities. Jews view the history back as one long, devastating nightmare. This fear has made them partially or completely withdrawn from any aspect of their culture. Any aspects learnt by the modern day Jew is purposefully aimed at surviving and escaping any threat of another discrimination or in extreme cases, annihilation. Survival has been achieved through assimilation of diverse culture, acquisition of new economic survival (capitalism) making them strive to powerful heights, practice of new religions and the cold shoulder turned on their culture. All these have been done with the objective of getting that new identity, an identity that would never make them collide with any group, an identity that will put them at the same level as the others. That is the Jewish transformation and revolution described in a nutshell. Work Cited Mendes-Flohr, Paul and Reinharz, Jehuda. The Jew in the Modern World: A Documentary Histor, 3rd Edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007. Read More