Hasidic Judaism and community life in Borough Park, Brooklyn

Hasidic Judaism Culture

Hasidic Judaism-primarily Boro Park

Literature suggests that people often refer the Jewish people as the chosen people, which is common knowledge. In fact, the bible supports this because it refers to them as the Holy people or the Holy Community. In this respect, during the provision of the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai, it was a requirement by God that the Jews live a holy life. In the context of holy, God required the people to conduct their personal and social life through obeying the six hundred and thirteen proscriptive and prescriptive dicta found in the Torah (Mintz, 1992). Over successive generations, the six hundred and thirteen laws evolved to become the Ol Torah or the yoke of the torah.

In the current setting, it is just to suggest that over the two thousand plus years, the Jews have tried their best to conduct their lives in accordance with the six hundred mitzvahs. This is in reference to some of the Hasidic Jewish community living in Borough Park. In this milieu, it is vital to note that the Jews, after interacting and staying in Eastern and Central Europe, they formed the Hasidic community. It was a movement, which aimed at integrating even non-Jews to join them through their spiritual appeal, which emphasized on joy, faith, ecstatic faith, followed by dance and songs (Mintz, 1992).

Foundation

Borough Park, often spelt as Boro Park is a neighborhood found in Brooklyn, New York in the United States of America. Its popularity is because it harbors the largest proportion of the Orthodox Community outside of Israel. It is home to the largest proportions of Jews in the United States, including Orthodox culture, which rival many insular communities. Because of the high numbers of children in the Hasidic families, the neighborhood is experiencing a sharp growth (Kranzler, 1995). In addition, the neighborhood comprise of a rich, working class, including the poor people, who live side by side, sharing the same social amenities, such as learning institutions and synagogues.

Because of the disparity, it has achieved an economically diverse society. In addition, regardless of their present location, the Jews of Borough Park have also tried to remain true to the holiness approach. Throughout history, they struggled to remain the holy community described in the bible. Nonetheless, the threats of maintaining the way of the Torah have always existed. This is in regards to the well-known history of the Jewish Communities in terms of their economic, political, and social persecutions (Mintz, 1992). At the start of the late 18th century and the liberation during the 19th century, the threats had taken another form.

This meant that the Jews induced some of these threats due to the motivation to achieve economic success including professional achievement. This gradually enhanced the interactions of the Hasidic communities with the external people, and secularization slowly emerged (Mintz, 1992). In the beginning of the 1950s, Hasidism spread to Europe and Israel gradually replaced the initial dwellers of Borough Park who were Italians, and the less religious Jews. Hasidism was further expanded through cultural interaction, particularly through marriage among the Hasidic and couples who could not find housing in Williamsburg, including the Hasidic families that required substantial space for their increased progeny.

Although the neighborhood was achieving high numbers of orthodox Jews, it managed to ensure it is a cosmopolitan place than the other neighborhood, Williamsburg. The Hasidic community engaged in a number of economic activity such as running restaurants, and shops, which attracted shoppers adding to Borough Park's more liberal ambience (Kranzler, 1995). The Hasidic community also values education, and boys and girls attend different forms of learning institutions. In this regard, it is crucial to acknowledge that the New York Government is responsible for running Borough Park's public learning institutions. The Hasidic community took their boys to local yeshivas and the girls attended Yaakov-type schools.

This resulted to decline of the private-owned schools in the neighborhood. The neighborhood has the largest population of the Hasidic communities. This does not mean that there are no other communities living in the neighborhood, but in comparison, the Hasidic community is the largest. In addition, similar to the earlier Jewish community, the Hasidic community still observes the Jewish Law. The Sabbath day is their day of rest, which has made people perceive it as culturally and religiously orthodox in many aspects. In addition, they observe several cultural practices.

For example, adolescent girls do not leave the house without covering their knees and elbows. During funerals, women and men sit separately in accordance with the law (Kranzler, 1995). Concerning education, it is important to note that the Hasidic communities create the schools mentioned. The objective is to isolate the youth or rather their children from the other population by providing their own education and education levels. The isolation is great and the Hasidic community is not to interact with non-Jews, and, although occasionally they might be in a position to engage, they are forbidden to exchange views and philosophies.

In addition, the Hasidic community, mainly referencing their culture, bans their youth and children from engaging in college education (Orthodox Judaism, 2010). However, the ban does not mean that there is a specific rule, which discourages college education. Nonetheless, the objective is to live by the Bible, and the youth once they finish the studies, they become Torah Scholars and Rabbis, whereas women will still hold their minor position in the community. The family is the fundamental component of the community, but every individual has a different role to play.

Women and girls were to perform and always handle the house chores, such as cooking, cleaning, and washing, whereas the men were the leaders of the families, and took care of their families. In addition, similar to other cultures and people of the world, the Hasidic community's way of life was visually and musically attractive, characterized by rich textures, unusual customs, firm traditions, music and dance. They also value oral traditions, which explains the Hasidic tales, memorable paths into a complicated world of the Hasidic mentality, religious themes and humor (Humes, 1998).

Although the family is the basic unit, the Hasidic community has embraced living together in the neighborhoods, which is a strategy to ensure that they will continue with Jewish traditions and cultures. Men and women dress in unique clothing, for example, men always wear long, black garbs, black hats including long beards. In addition, men or male have curls by their side. Women also follow the strict rules of the Jewish tradition, a custom known as Tzyniyus. In this regard, the women hardly expose their body parts, except from the palm and face. Women also wear dresses and skirts alone, mainly because the law forbids them to wear pants (Orthodox Judaism, 2010).

Objective

In the 21st century, people are treated as equals, regardless of their place in the society. In the context of "place," it refers to status, gender, tribe, race, and many other social aspects. In addition, the analysis shows that women play a subordinate role in the society, and this is outlined in the Hasidic community's law (Humes, 1998). Therefore, the intention of the plan is to provide awareness to the community concerning the potential of women in the society.

Application

Women across the world have shown their potential in managing affairs in countries, becoming the best in film industry, managerial activities, and a wide spectrum of other activities far away from house chores. Therefore, women have potential, it is just that cultural practices may obstruct or serve as barriers to their freedom, and subsequently displaying their potential in handling other activities perceived as being of men. In this context, Hasidic women can play a contributory role in the development of the society. For example, they can head the schools, or provide financial advice to the people.

Topics to Cover

1. The importance of women in the society

2. The importance of men in the society

3. Integrating women in leadership roles

4. Negative effects of culture in development

5. Suitability of women in leadership roles

6. Why women can become good leaders

7. Why the society should give women a chance to lead

8. Importance of women leaders

9. Practical examples of women leaders in other societies

10. Achievement of women leaders in other societies

Sample workshop materials

The workshop will utilize several materials, and technology will be among them. This is, however, forbidden in the community, but the community will learn the essence of technology in the course of the training program.

1. Fly outs

2. Power point representations

3. Recorded interviews

4. DVD's

5. Workshop agendas

6. Photographs

7. Women leaders who will serve as role models

Conclusion

In many prior literatures, it is a common theme that the Jewish people are the chosen people of God. The bible supports this because it refers to them as the Holy people or the Holy Community. During the provision of the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai, God also referred the Jews as holy. Therefore, it has become a common knowledge and theme for people to adopt this name for them. The Jews were known to abode in Israel, but after the World War II, some of them moved to Borough Park, often spelt as Boro Park, which is a neighborhood found in Brooklyn. The popularity of the neighborhood has grown because it has the largest proportion of the Orthodox Community outside of Israel.

The neighborhood is home to the largest numbers of Jews in the United States. The Hasidic community has completely become isolated from the non-Jews because they encourage so, which has led to the development of their own schools. The schools teach the youth issues about the torah, and the female students learn the basics of good housewifery. Due to their approach to education, once they finish their studies, the people only engage in careers, which do not require educational qualifications, such as business. However, women still hold a subordinate position towards mane, and they cannot engage in particular professions, mainly those associated with leadership because they can cause possible cultural conflicts. Most importantly, regardless of the location, the Hasidic community still struggles to maintain their spiritual life.