Religion

 

A taste of Jewish life.



What does it mean to be Jewish? Is it a religion, a nationality, a culture?  In fact it can be a combination of all of these things. The Jews today are represented by two broad groups; Ashkenazy and Sephardi. In general the Ashkenazy Jews come from Central Europe and Eastern Europe surrounded by Christian culture, while Sephardi Jews come from Spain, North Africa and the Middle East surrounded by Muslim culture.

From a religious point of view there are three main movements: Orthodox, Conservative and Reform. Basically put, the Orthodox follows the many laws and traditions that are obliged in the Torah and in the Talmud. The services are carried out almost entirely in Hebrew and vary only slightly from one country to another. The Reform movement on the other hand, which started in Germany in the mid 1800's and is quite prevalent in North America, holds services mainly in the vernacular. Reform Jews do not strictly adhere to all the laws. There are different rules and obligations that are applied to Orthodox men and women, whereas in the Reform there is no distinction between the sexes. The Conservative movement falls between these two groups. Here in Québec City the synagogue has always been identified as Orthodox, even though individuals in the community have a range of widely held beliefs and traditions.

Whether Orthodox, Conservative or Reform, there are basic concepts and ideas that are held by all; the belief in only one G-d, and that Abraham is the founding father of Judaism.