Topics for Wiki Contributions on Jewish Practice

General Resources:

The Website www.MyJewishLearning.com has many useful articles on a whole range of Jewish rituals and beliefs.
WWW.ritualwell.org has information on many new Jewish rituals
Harvey Goldberg, The Life of Judaism – has articles on many aspects of Jewish practice. The book is available on line through Ebrary (which our library subscribes to; call number is BM42 .L54 2001).
Harvey E. Goldberg, Jewish Passages: Cycles of Jewish Life (on reserve in the library: call number BM700 .G613 2003)
Ivan G. Marcus, The Jewish Life Cycle: Rites of Passage from Biblical to Modern Times (on reserve in the library: call number BM 700 .M27 2004)
Encyclopedia Judaica (In the reference section of the library: Call number DS102.8 .E496 2007).
For information on many topics having to do with women, see Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia - http://jwa.org/encyclopedia.

Assignment

Each chevruta group should choose one of the following topics to research on and create a wiki page or pages for it. Each topic has a number of resources listed, but there are more beyond what is provided here, so you should feel free to search for them either in the library or on the web. (I will be creating a page on how to evaluate websites and whether they will be helpful for your research). You should not simply  copy and paste from other websites - the value of this assignment lies in what you do with the information you have gathered. Most of the words on the page (at least 80%) should come from what you have written, not what you are quoting from other sources. If you are presenting the argument of one of your sources, you should paraphrase it and discuss it critically, using it to advance your agenda, not simply repeating what the source says.

The amount of information should be equivalent to at least to five typewritten pages, but it can be all presented on one page in the wiki site. For each topic there are questions that you should answer on your pages, but you can also choose to discuss other issues as well that are related to your topic.

You can choose the format of the page or pages, but make sure that they are easy to read and understand. If it is relevant, you can include Youtube videos, music, pictures, or Powerpoint presentations (it's possible to embed presentations using the Dashboard type of webpage).

To start working on your page, go to Jewish Daily Life Section 1 or Section 2 (depending on which section you're in) and click on the page for the topic your group has chosen. A blank page has already been created for each topic, so you can start working on them right away.

Each group will also be asked to make a brief presentation (10 minutes) on your topic - these will be scheduled after the midterm break.

The wiki page or pages should be completed by April 3.

Topics and Resources

Circumcision

What is circumcision and why do Jews practice it? What is the connection between circumcision and covenant (called brit in Hebrew)? Some Jews now believe that circumcision should no longer be practiced by Jews – why do they think this, and what are the counter-arguments against them?

Resources

Bible: Genesis 17 (read the commentary in the Bible as well)
Nicholas de Lange, Introduction to Judaism, pp. 110-112 (Call Number: BM561 .D378 2000; also available via Ebrary, which you can access directly from the Ithaca College library website).
Jewish passages: Cycles of Jewish life, by Harvey E. Goldberg, chapter on birth rituals and circumcision (pp. 28-63).
The Jewish Life Cycle, by Ivan Marcus – pp. 42-59.

Websites on circumcision

http://www.act-now.org (a Jewish pro-circumcision site)
http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/2754 (general pro-circumcision site, from a medical point of view)
http://www.milah.net (a Jewish pro-circumcision site, from a mohel
http://www.mohel-circumcision.co.uk (another Jewish pro-circumcision site, from a London mohel
http://www.aish.com/literacy/lifecycle/bris_milah_beautiful_or_barbaric$.asp (pro-brit milah article on the Aish ha-Torah web site)
http://www.cirp.org/pages/cultural/bris_shalom.html (alternative to circumcision ceremony)
http://jewishcircumcision.org (a Jewish anti-circumcision web site)

Baby-naming ceremonies for girls

In the last few decades, with the rise of the feminist movement, there has been a growth in ceremonies to mark the birth of a baby girl. This is in addition to traditional ceremonies, such as the “Zeved ha-bat,” a Sephardic ceremony to welcome a girl into the world. Some of these ceremonies parallel the circumcision ceremony, others suggest entirely new ways of welcoming the child into the world. What are the range of ceremonies that have been developed?

Resources

Jewish passages: Cycles of Jewish life, by Harvey E. Goldberg, pp. 63-72.

Websites on baby-naming ceremonies

For an overview on women and ritual, see http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/ritual-in-united-states.
You can find some interesting rituals on Ritual Well (http://www.ritualwell.org), search for “babynaming.”
For an overview and selected rituals, see: http://www.ritualwell.org/lifecycles/babieschildren/babynamingsimchatbat
“Planning and Implementing Your Daughter's Brit Bat,” by Debra Nussbaum Cohen (http://www.myjewishlearning.com/lifecycle/Ceremonies_For_Newborns/Overview_Liturgy_Ritual_Customs/Elements_Brit_Bat/Planning_a_Brit_Bat.htm)
Article by Debra Ruth Kolodny, "Mystery of the Covenant: A New Ceremony of Simchat Brit," which suggests a new ceremony of covenant to parallel the brit milah (see attachment below, "article on Simchat Brit").

Bar mitzvah/Bat mitzvah

Explain what bar mitzvah is and why it is celebrated – how did it develop historically and what has it become in contemporary Jewish American life? When did the bat mitzvah develop and why has it also become important for American Jews?

Resources

Nicholas de Lange, Introduction to Judaism, pp. 148-150.
Jewish passages: Cycles of Jewish life, by Harvey E. Goldberg, chapter on rituals of education (pp. 77-113).
The Jewish Life Cycle, by Ivan Marcus, pp. 82-105 (on the history of the bar mitzvah); pp. 105-116 (on the history of the bat mitzvah).

Websites on bar/bat mitzvah

Judaism 101: http://www.jewfaq.org/barmitz.htm
http://www.myjewishlearning.com/lifecycle/BarBatMitzvah.htm: this article provides links to many good articles on the subject, including one on the history of the bar mitzvah and another on the history of the bat mitzvah.
On bat mitzvah in the United States: http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/bat-mitzvah-american-jewish-women.

Marriage

What is the traditional Jewish view of marriage? What are the purposes of marriage? How is a traditional Jewish wedding conducted – what are the most important parts of the ceremony? What are the issues raised by intermarriage (between a Jew and a non-Jew)?

Resources

Nicholas de Lange, Introduction to Judaism, pp. 107-109.
Jewish passages: Cycles of Jewish life, by Harvey E. Goldberg, chapter on marriage.
Einat Ramon, “Tradition and Innovation in the Marriage Ceremony,” in Harvey Goldberg, The Life of Judaism, pp. 105-120.
Sylvia Barack Fishman, Double or nothing? : Jewish families and mixed marriage (Call number HQ1031 .F56 2004).

Websites on marriage

Jewish Women: An Historical Encyclopedia: http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/marriage
Judaism 101: marriage: http://www.jewfaq.org/marriage.htm
Orthodox views of marriage
http://www.ahavat-israel.com/torat/marriage.php
http://www.ohr.org.il/judaism/articles/wedding.htm
Two articles on Jewish weddings:
http://www.ujfmetrowest.org/content_display.html?articleID=7910: “My Ketubah (Jewish Marriage Contract),” by Anita Diamant
http://www.ujc.org/content_display.html?ArticleID=1596: “Wedding Customs: Old, New, and Renovated,” by Marlena Thompson
For interfaith families: http://www.interfaithfamily.com/

Niddah and Mikveh

What are the laws of menstrual impurity (niddah) and how are they practiced today among traditional Jews? What is a mikveh and what role does it play in the observance of the laws of niddah?

Resources

Bible: Leviticus 15 (read the commentary in the Bible as well)
Nicholas de Lange, Introduction to Judaism, pp. 93-94, 107-109
For a longer explanation of the laws of niddah, see Rachel Biale, Women and Jewish Law, the chapter on niddah (on reserve in the library, call number BM729.W6 B53 1995)

Websites on niddah

Article on mikveh from Jewish Women: An Historical Encyclopedia: http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/mikveh
Article on niddah from the same encyclopedia: http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/female-purity-niddah
http://www2.kenyon.edu/Depts/Religion/Projects/Reln91/Blood/Judaism/new%20family/purity.htm - a site on niddah from Kenyon College
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/niddah.html (article by R. Alana Suskin)
http://www.myjewishlearning.com/ideas_belief/sex_sexuality/Overview_Judaism_And_Sexuality/Sex_Prohibit_Isaacs/Sex_Taharat_Isaacs.htm (article by Ronald Isaacs)
Two articles on a Reform Jewish perspective on niddah and mikveh:
http://www.reformjudaismmag.net/396js.html (article by Jane Solomon, “Entering the Mikveh”)
http://www.reformjudaismmag.net/396mb.html (“Reform Jews Discover the Mikveh”)
Articles from the website of Mayyim Hayyim, a new mikveh in the Boston area: http://www.mayyimhayyim.org/Education_Library.asp?page=Education
http://www.mikvahproject.com/index.html - the Mikvah Project

Homosexuality

What are traditional Jewish attitudes towards homosexuality and how have these attitudes been challenged in the contemporary world? What are the differing views of the Jewish movements about homosexuality and whether gay and lesbian people should be accepted into congregations, ordained as rabbis, and be able to celebrate a Jewish wedding?

Resources

Wrestling with God and men: homosexuality in the Jewish tradition, by Steven Greenberg (available at the IC library through Ebrary and also in hard copy with call number: BM729.H65 G74 2004).
Queer Jews, edited by David Shneer & Caryn Aviv (on reserve, at call number HQ75.16.U6 Q44 2002).
Trembling before G-d [DVD 575) - "A documentary built around personal stories of gay and lesbian Hasidic and Orthodox Jews. Portrays people who face a profound dilemma - how to reconcile their passion for Judaism with the biblical prohibitions against homosexuality. Includes interviews with closeted and out gay Orthodox and Hasidic Jews, including the first openly gay Orthodox rabbi, Steven Greenberg).
Lesbian rabbis : the first generation / edited by Rebecca T. Alpert, Sue Levi Elwell, Shirley Idelson (Call Number: BM753 .L47 2001).
On lesbians in Judaism - http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/lesbianism
Like bread on the seder plate : Jewish lesbians and the transformation of tradition, by Rebecca T. Alpert (Call number Call Number: BM729.H65 A47 1997).

Conservative movement and homosexuality:

For an orientation to the differing views and recent decisions, read the document attached to this page below: Conserv & Homosex.doc.

•    Joel Roth and Elliott Dorff published articles in the Conservative movement's magazine in 2004 giving their diametrically opposed views on homosexuality and whether openly gay people should be accepted as rabbis. For Roth's opinion, see, We Can't Legitimate Homosexuality Halakhically. For Dorff's opinion, see Medical and Moral Reasons to Change the Law.
•    The most recent teshuvot: http://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/law/new_teshuvot.html

•    Information from the Jewish Theological Seminary: http://www.jtsa.edu/cjls.
•    Information from Keshet, a group of rabbis and students studying for the rabbinate in the Conservative movement: http://keshetjts.org.

Conversion

What is the process that a person undergoes who wants to convert to Judaism? How does the process differ between the Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox movements? What attitudes might other Jews have towards those who convert?

Resources

Sylvia Barack Fishman, The Way into the Varieties of Jewishness, pp. 192-208 (Call number: BM155.3 .F57 2007; on reserve in the library)

Websites

www.myjewishlearning.com on conversion: http://www.myjewishlearning.com/lifecycle/Conversion.htm - there are many good articles available on this website – read several of them, especially to learn about the differences between the movements
http://www.interfaithfamily.com/conversion - this is a list of articles from a website for intermarried families (Jews married to non-Jews).
Union of Reform Judaism website on conversion: http://urj.org/outreach/conversion
United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism website on conversion: http://www.uscj.org/intmar/convmain.html

Tattooing, piercing, and Jewish law

Is tattooing permitted by Jewish law? What are the consequences if a Jew gets a tattoo – does it bar full participation in Jewish life or prevent a person from being buried in a Jewish cemetery

Resources

http://www.myjewishlearning.com/daily_life/TheBody/Adorning_the_Body/Tattoo.htm (this is a teshuvah by a Conservative rabbi, Rabbi Alan Lucas, which was accepted by Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Conservative movement).
http://www.myjewishlearning.com/daily_life/TheBody/Adorning_the_Body/Piercing.htm (this is another teshuvah by R. Alan Lucas)
“Tattoo Jews,” by Shoshana Hebshi (http://www.somethingjewish.co.uk/articles/777_tattoo_jews.htm)
http://www.hillel.org/about/news/2007/jan/tattoos_19Jan07.htm

Jewish beliefs about death and the afterlife

How does Judaism deal with death - what are rituals and customs associated with death and mourning? What are classical Jewish beliefs about the afterlife? Does the soul survive death? Is there punishment or reward after death? What is the “world to come”? Will the body be resurrected when the Messiah comes?

Resources

For Jewish rituals surrounding death, see The Jewish Life Cycle, by Ivan Marcus, pp. 201-224.
Nicholas de Lange, Introduction to Judaism, pp. 114-118.
See attachments below for information on specific issues: on the process of grieving, on the hevra kadisha (the Jewish burial society), on organ donation (whether it's permitted or even encouraged by Jewish law), on the Jewish belief in the resurrection of the dead

Specifically on afterlife beliefs

Nicholas de Lange, Introduction to Judaism, 209-212.
Neil Gillman, The Death of Death: Resurrection and Immortality in Jewish Thought (call number BM 635.4 .G55 1997), especially pages 83-188.