ws nationwide (Rosen, Weltman, 612).When someone refers to themself as Jewish, they are not only talking about which religion they follow, but a culture and ethnicity that they belong to. Membership of this culture is something that you are born into, not just something that you practice and believe. 48% of the Jewish community is not affiliated with a synagogue or other Jewish institution or temple ( Rosen, Weltman, 612). Jews of Eastern European descent that have immigrated to the United States in the early part of the 20th century are the most visible in the United States and have made the largest impact on American society throughout art, literature, religion and music. Therefore the rest of this paper will concentrate on their structure of family, community and religion (Rosen, Weltman, 613).Jewish Family LifeThe Jewish culture puts a very big emphasis on the importance of family. The Jewish ideal family is commonly viewed as the Jewish man as a good father, husband, and provider, and the Jewish woman as a devoted wife and mother of intelligent children. Personal, economic and financial successes are crucial ideas in the Jewish family. Many families goals were centered on education and professional achievement. Respect was often gained by learning (Rosen, Weltman, 617).The Jews believe that it is a violation of Gods law not to marry. This comes from the first commandment in the Torah, which says, You shall be fruitful and multiply (Rosen, Weltman, 613). Both bachelorhood and birth control are viewed as unacceptable. The core of the Jewish tradition has always been marriage, raising children, and establishing a family. There are three other factors that give the Jews reason to place such a strong emphasis on marriage and family: The children and grandchildren are the center of the Jewish family and bring the very meaning of life to all those in their family; The Jewish history of hardships have made the family structure o...
