In almost every country of the world, Jewish communities are sadly getting reduced because of assimilation, being forced to close their synagogues to become museums, and losing their culture all together. Panama, thank God, is going in the opposite direction. According to Pew Research Center, a growing numbers of American Jews are secular, they are inter-marrying more, and the children are not being raised with Jewish education. Why is Panama the exception? Why is Panama one of the few growing communities? What makes us different? When Rabbi Sion Levy first arrived to Panama, he could not believe his eyes. He had left the security of the Jerusalem walls, his teachers and Rabbis, to come to a place where all he knew was an alien concept to …show more content…
Starting every Friday night, for 25 hours, Jews are forbidden ride cars, use electronic devices, use money, cook, and many other things. Those who do not observe Shabbat might think of it as a day filled with stringent restrictions, or as a day full of prayer like is the Christian Sabbath. But for those who do observe it, Shabbat is a precious gift from God, a day of bliss impatiently awaited throughout the week, a day when we can disconnect from our weekday worries and dedicate ourselves to more important things such as G-d and our families. Most Jewish families eat the Shabbat meal together. Imagine having Thanksgiving, with all the delicious meals and spending quality time with your close relatives, but instead of once a year, you get to do it every week! Shabbat is a time to connect with the family and G-d, a day of rest and peace. I wish i could explain the magical feeling there is at a Shabbat table. Everybody singing Hebrew songs, the smell of the delicious food on the table, and the sensation of relief, freedom from your everyday tasks, all this while surrounded by those you love most. that is something that cannot be topped. I have yet to experience something as satisfying as a Shabbat dinner. Here in Panama, we are blessed to have most of the community keep the Shabbat, which unites us in a way that nothing ever
Upon accepting a position to work for the New York Transit Authority, Mary Myers was forthright in informing her supervisor(s) know that she was unable to work any sundown Fridays to sundown Saturdays. (Feazell, 2003) As it relates to keeping “the Sabbath”, sundown Friday to sundown Saturday adherence to set aside this time period for rest and worship. (Feazell, 2003) Consequently, after Ms. Myer begin working for Transit Authority, her scheduled hours were involuntary changed, and she was then required to work on the Sabbath. (Feazell, 2003)
The Ways in Which Shabbat is Observed in Jewish Homes and in the Synagogue Shabbat, the Jewish holy day, begins at sunset on Friday night and ends Saturday night when the first star appears. It usually lasts 25 hours. Jewish people observe Shabbat in many different ways. On Shabbat, Jews are forbidden to work. This is because they believe that on their holy day they should devote themselves entirely to praying, worshipping God and studying the Torah.
By giving back through your words and actions, the holiday can be a very graceful and godly time when individuals can reflect and try to make themselves a better person. These holidays allow spiritual growth, which is one of the most vital aspects of the Jewish religion. Without an absolute understanding of gratitude, faith, and humbling yourself before God, this religion is not truly embraced, by embracing these aspects the religion can be illuminated in all ways and seen as one of the most beautiful parts of life.
Judaism is practiced by about 500,000 Jews in the region. Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil host large communities and are faced with large amounts of anti-semitism leftover from Spanish hatred. The Jewish and Muslims were forced out of Spain, even those who had converted to catholicism, by the Spanish Inquisition. This systemic hatred had taken root in Latin America (Class Notes).
He says, “in our own contemporary context of the rat race of anxiety, the celebration of Sabbath is an act of resistance.” He says that this is resistance because it is a “visible insistence that our lives are not defined by the production and consumption of commodity goods.” The Sabbath is also an alternative “to the demanding, chattering, pervasive presence of advertising and its great liturgical claim of professional sports that devour all our “rest time.” Our world is a world of production, we continuously produce and never stop. The need for over-production will someday destroy us. Everyone needs a day of rest to have a moment to realize their content with themselves and with others. The Sabbath is a way that can defend the production of this world. Many many Americans are being abused by this type of production system because when they have the time to take a break and rest, they fear that they will need more and more. Brueggemann states that “Thus I have come to think that the fourth commandment on Sabbath is the most difficult and most urgent of the commandments in our society, because it summons us to intent and conduct that defies the most elemental requirements of a commodity-propelled society that specializes in control and entertainment, bread and circuses … along with anxiety and
Traditionally, Jews pray three times a day if they get the chance to do so. Studying the Torah is also considered an act of worshiping God. Jewish people celebrate the Sabbath, the seventh day of each week, which is spent in prayer and in rest.
America has always been a country of immigrants, since it was first settled by Europeans over five hundred years ago. Like any country with a considerable immigrant population, American has always faced the problem of assimilation. Because America was founded and settled by immigrants, her culture is a combination of the cultures of other countries. Should these immigrants isolate themselves from the mainstream American culture, or should they sacrifice the culture of their homelands for the benefits American culture has to offer? Judaism in particular has had to deal with the assimilation question. One of the world’s oldest religions, it has remained strong over its six thousand year history by remaining distinct – and isolated – from other cultures. Chaim Potok focuses on how Orthodox and Hasidic Jews have handled this problem in his books The Chosen, My name is Asher Lev, In the Beginning, and The Book of Lights.
Most of the population is on the Pacific side of the divide. The population of the country is around 2.8 million with a growth rate of 1.5%. The racial and ethnic groups are 65% mestizo, 14% African descent, 10% Spanish descent, 10% Indian. The religion is 85% Roman Catholic, 5% Protestant, and 5% Islamic. Spanish is the official language, though United States influence and the canal zone reinforce the use of English as a second language. Panama's arts show its ethnic mix. Indian tribes, West Indian groups, mestizos, Chinese, Middle Eastern, Swiss, Yugoslav and North American immigrants have all offer contributed ingredients to the culture. Traditional arts are woodcarving, weaving, ceramics and mask-making. The capital city is Panama City with major cities of Colon, Bocas del Toro, Potobelo, El porvenir, Santiago, Tocumen, La Palma, David, Balboa, and el Dorado.
My sixteen week class in English 111. I was really nervous about this class. Because English has never been my strong point. This class has hard, but fun all at the same time. I learn a lot from this class. Meanwhile,the first day of class you handed a paper with a question on it. “The first thing I want to say to you who are students is that you must not think of being here to receive an education; instead, you will do much better to think of being here to claim one.” Even though putting my all in what I have learned, claiming my education with hard work because using the skills of the meal plan, as we write to different audiences and learning to be a Critically thinker as I start becoming a critically-Literate Citizenship.
.... For a Muslim, Friday is the holy day and special services are held in early to mid-afternoon. The Mosque is open seven days a week and available for each of the daily prayers.
One area in which the Jewish lifestyle has made a clear impact is on the stock market. A known adage around the stock exchange is “sell Rosh Hashanah, buy Yom Kippur,” the saying highlights the seasonal weakness that habitually occurs between those two Jewish holidays. It's similar to the "Sell in May and go away" maxim. The market-related proverb originated decades ago when the common practice for Jewish investors to sell their stocks on Rosh Hashanah so they could focus on their prayers became known. Jewish investors, without the distraction of havin...
Historically, the Jewish identity has been replete with hope and the desire for better circumstances. The immigration that caused the number of Jewish people in America to spike was a direct result of the Holocaust, an event centered around the decimation of the Jewish population in Europe. Immigrating was done out of a hope that North America would offer a protective haven for Jewish people to regain their communities and retain their culture. Philip Roth’s The Ghost Writer and Shalom Aquarium’s Hope:
...fter Rosh Hashanah by fasting and praying all day. Yom Kippur is the holiest day in the Jewish year. Every Saturday of the week is called Shabbat and is described as the day that God used as a day to rest after creating the world. There are also three traditional “Pilgrimage festivals”. Passover and season of rejoicing are both eight-day fruit harvested festival that celebrate Israelites success while Festival of weeks is a wheat-harvest festival that commemorates God’s revelation of the Torah on Mount Sinai. In the modern state of Israel a few other national Holidays are acknowledged to commemorate a historical event. These holidays include Jerusalem day, Independence Day, Memorial Day, and day of the Shoah. Day of the Shoah or Yom Hashoah is remembrance of the six million Jews killed during the Holocaust. 50-70% of the victims of the Holocaust were Orthodox Jews.
Shabbat is the celebration of the Sabbath. Jews recognize sunset on Friday into Saturday evening as their Sabbath. The Sabbath is a day of rest that is set apart from other days, a day in which Jews focus themselves on spiritual gratitude and reflection. Shabbat is considered one of the most important rituals to Jews. Shabbat is the observance of two interrelated commandments; to remember Shabbat (Zakhor), and to observe Shabbat (Shamor) (jewfaq.org). On Shabbat Jews rest themselves from daily tasks and take the time to enrich their minds spiritually.
People from different countries have come to visit, but when they are in Panama they feel at home. It is a multicultural place. Asian people come and see around, and they can find many of their brothers living there. They appreciate their culture everywhere in buildings, restaurants, shops, parks and even schools. European people come and can also find restaurants, buildings or any kind of shop that reflects their country. From north, central and south America, and from islands in