The role of religious symbols in the identity of the Jewish community of the Western Cape

Mirvis, Jonathan Ralph

The role of religious symbols in the identity of the Jewish community of the Western Cape

Thesis / Dissertation

1985

Abstract

When the Jews were in Eastern Europe at the beginning of the twentieth century, their way of life seemed to have been homogenous. Most Jews, especially those who lived in the Shtetl, observed a religious way of life adhering to the precepts of the Torah. This widely accepted value system enabled the communities to function harmoniously. Upon emigrating to the Western World, the Jew found himself confronted by forces which challenged the very principles upon which he had based his life for centuries. He was confronted by an industrial capitalist secular and accepting world, radically different from that in which he had grown up. In coping with this new reality, Jews reacted differently. There were those who chose to assimilate totally into their new adopted cultures, obliterating all signs of their Jewishness. There were those who chose to culturally and nationally assimilate, yet to retain some of the religious symbols of Judaism (Reform). There were those who chose to try to find a synthesis between the new culture and their Jewishness, compromising where necessary in their Jewishness, yet maintaining some form of adherence to Halachah (Conservative). Finally, there were those who believed in adhering to the Halachah at all costs, only adopting Western values and symbols where the Halachah was silent or could be re-interpreted (Orthodox). This divergence in reaction led to a polarisation of the Jewish community in many Western countries, and has divided thes.e communities. In Cape Town, the Jewish community is harmonious in nature. As in other ( i i ) communities, the Jew selected certain religious symbols for retention, and rejected others. Whilst this selection has varied, the fabric of the community has been maintained and the harmony which prevailed in Eastern Europe has also been retained. In this thesis, we shall identify those religious symbols which have come to be significant in Jewish identity, and seek to explain both the choice and the significance thereof.

Keywords

Religious Studies

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