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Hasidic Jews are a very devout, Orthodox people. It is the intention of this article for you to shatter any previous prejudices and listen and learn with an open mind.
Hasidic Jews celebrate life blissfully and on impulse quite frequently; one example of this cheerful celebration is in the wedding scene. In the scene there is a lot of dancing and singing and merry-making, because everyone was glad to be there and glad to enjoy life. I, myself, enjoy life every day, at every point; in every day I am always glad to be alive. Annually, I celebrate life with my birthday, and the birthdays of my friends and family. Tonight was my Grandmother’s birthday and she told us how happy she was that she was still here to celebrate her birthday with my family and me. On a more reoccurring basis I celebrate life by merely enjoying life, be it at a basketball game or by helping out someone who appears downtrodden and as if they were discontented with life.
Hasidic Jews keep the Sabbath holy by spending a majority of their time in prayer, they do not work, and they do not use automobiles. They try to not use electricity and often resort to setting up timers upon their appliances and lights. In a worst case scenario they would simply ask a neighbor to assist them. These views contrast with how I keep the Sabbath holy, but I still respect them. I keep the Sabbath holy by going to mass, and trying not to leave the house, but rather do simple, household tasks, or relax and converse with my family. We try to not work very hard, and find a special time to be with each other, as a family.
One thing, that I feel is safe to count upon, is the forgiveness of God. God will forgive you if you have truly repented, and if you truly feel sorry for what you have done. This forgiveness is necessary because Jesus gave his life to forgive us for our sins, because He loves us. The Catholic Church is the representation of God in our secular world, and it is their duty to carry on the work of forgiveness started over 2000 years ago.
In history, Jewish people have often been the target of hatred and prejudices. Throughout the video, there were many examples of prejudices, however the following two were the most prominent, the first being the prosecution and genocide of the Jews, at the hands of the Nazis. The second instance of prejudices occurred when, while walking down the street, several boys began to poke fun at Danny and Reuven, merely because they were Jewish. Anti-Semitism is, regrettably, still in occurrence to this day. One very famous, anti-Semitist group is the Ku Klux Klan. The KKK believe that they are better than everyone else and are openly anti-Semitic. Another example of modern anti-Semitism is in the Middle East, where many different ethnicities of people hate and are prejudiced against people of Jewish descent. Many different ethnicities of Middle Eastern people, particularly Arabs, and even radical Christians, still persecute and kill Jews. Attitudes of prejudice are harmful to individuals, because besides from the obvious physical harm, there is the aspect of psychological and emotional harm. Individuals begin to think that there is no one else out there who wants to help them and they, as a society, become very xenophobic.
Xenophobia slows the development of cultures and increases tension. Advice that I would give an individual, would be to just tell them that it was alright, and even though I was a stranger, I was on their side and I would harm them. I would tell them that there are plenty of other people in the world who are not only willing, but want to help them. In the Fourth Commandment, God tells us to “honor our mother and father,” which is seen as the obvious, respect your parents, but also as an extended metaphor for the respect for all of His creation. Jesus touched upon the subject briefly when he gave his general commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself.”(Matthew 22:34-40) By saying this he is saying that you and your neighbor are very similar and you shouldn’t dislike him for his beliefs or customs, but rather love and accept him.
