A Heritage – and a Course – to Remember

The Jewish Heritage has been one of my most interesting classes during my time at Ben-Gurion University so far. Although we have only had three weeks of class due to Passover break, this course has both already informed and expanded my view of Judaism in a way I didn’t expect.

I find this class so intriguing because I have taken what might seem like a similar class at the University of Virginia, titled Introduction to Judaism. Both classes serve as an introduction to the Jewish religion, but The Jewish Heritage offers a unique approach.

Instead of discussing the way Judaism is practiced now, with its laws and varied customs, we started by exploring what it means to be Jewish. We began with the question: “Is Judaism just a religion?” And we discovered that Judaism is both a religion and a nation, which differentiates it from many other religions, including Christianity and Islam. In order to prove this, or at least gather evidence supporting this claim, we looked all the way back to First Temple Period Judaism. And, using this information, we critiqued the modern day State of Israel.

The approach that Professor Ross uses, a mixture of discussion-style lectures and readings, provides a fresh view of an ancient history. This class has only met for three weeks, and I am excited for the remainder of the course. By the end, I hope to be able to view Judaism from a different academic angle than I had previously. This experience has taught me that Judaism not only has many different traditions, but many ways of studying these various traditions.

Ultimately, this class provides the basis for understanding Judaism throughout the ages as both a religion and a nation. It is possible to see the manifestation of most topics we cover in class in the daily life here in Israel, which makes the course even more exciting! For example, we experienced Sephardic Shabbat services in Mitzpe Ramon, which we had previously discussed in class. As a Reform Jew, I was hardly able to follow the service, and it was very interesting to see. I’ve also enjoyed thinking back on our experiences in the Old City of Jerusalem, the Western Wall, and the Temple Mount with this new knowledge of Judaism.