?Judaism? The history of Judaism is incredible. I cannot believe how much I have learned in this class; facts that I never knew existed. Being that I am Jewish, I am somewhat ashamed of that. Nevertheless, I am grateful for what I have learned these past two weeks about my religion. I have celebrated Passover numerous times in my life and had no idea the actual story behind it. I am not sure if I truly believe some of the stories in the Bible, but the story of God passing over Egypt, killing everyone who didn?t have blood on their thresholds, in order to save the Jews is incredible. The exodus of Egypt, demonstrates to us, the kind of suffering and hope, that makes me feel proud of who I am and who my ancestors were.I have gained so much information in this past week (though I do believe more time could definitely be spent on each religion) about the key themes that were covered, but there are two especially that I felt I needed to write about in my paper. The role of women in Judaism and the suffering Jew?s endured and still endure. I chose the role of women because has great relevance in my life, through my mother, my daughter and myself. I chose suffering because I don?t believe enough can be said about events that have taken place in Judaism, throughout history.The role of women in the Jewish religion has always been somewhat disturbing to me. I have never understood how the differences in men and women came to be, until this class. The men are the ones who are responsible for praying and upholding the laws of the Torah, while the women stay home and raise the family. Being that family and ? shaping the Jewish home is the most important role?, (Rabbi Stanley Wagner, video 7), doesn?t that make us just as important? One would think so. I realize that in the Reform branch of Judaism, women are just as equal as men, but not even close in the orthodox branc...
