Art and Artistic Expression
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Jewish DanceAmong Ashkenazi Jews dancing to klezmer music was an integral part of weddings in the shtetl. Jewish dance was influenced by local non-Jewish dance traditions, but there were clear differences, mainly in hand and arm motions, with more intricate legwork by the younger men. The religious community frowned on mixed dancing, dictating separate circles for men and women. Dance was one way Jews could express themselves at times when other forms of artistic expression were very limited as a result of anti-Semitism and prevailing cultural conditions.
http://faithandthearts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Judaism-and-the-arts.pdf |
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Jewish MusicHava Nagila is the first modern Israeli folk song in the Hebrew Language. It was composed in 1920's Palestine at a time when Hebrew was first being revived as a spoken language for the first time in since the destruction of the second temple in 70 CE. For the first time, Palestinian Jews were being encouraged to speak Hebrew as a common language, instead of Yiddish, Arabic, or other regional Jewish languages. In the times of the temple, 3000 years ago, there were choirs performing during the daily service espousing the idea that music is very close to spirituality. Pure music, (music without words) especially, is used to express the yearning of the soul and features prominently in Judaism.
http://faithandthearts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Judaism-and-the-arts.pdf |
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Art and ArchitectureArt in Judaism always has a spiritual purpose: to make us aware of the universe as a work of art, testifying to the supreme Artist, God himself. Art was expressed in form of paintings, sculptures, and architecture.
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