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For task three I interviewed adults and children in kindergarten to year two about their beliefs about god and being Jewish. Helen Studencki: Question: What was it like to grow up as a Jew in the area in which you grew up? Answer: It was difficult. I grew up in communist Poland during world war 2 where there was little food and Jews were hated. Question: What is one of the most important things you believe there is to being Jewish? Why? Answer: Being part of one of the oldest civilisations on earth and having a code of conduct to live as well as the fact that they are traditions that link generations of people to each other. Question: Do you consider yourself to be religious, observant or neither? Why? Answer: I consider myself to be semi - observant for a wide variety of reasons such as I believe in traditions and some practices but reject a number of old fashioned ideas. Question: Have you ever communicated with god? Answer: Yes, I believe I have during times of great stress or sorrow. As well as happiness. Question: Can you explain who or what god is? Why? Answer: No, as I don’t think you can quantify god. Question: Are there times when you think more about god than others? Answer: Yes, in times of stress I tend to think about god. Question: How do you understand the words religious and traditional? Is there any difference between them? Answer: Yes there is a difference between the two words. I believe that one is a set of beliefs another is a set of practices. Question: Do you think god Is Jewish? Why? Why not? Answer: That question is too difficult to answer although god is possibly universal as god is worshipped by many other religions than Judaism. Question: Do you think god is male or female? Why? Answer: The answer to that question is impossible to know seeing as we haven’t come face to face with god so there is no way of knowing that. Question: What do you think god looks like? Why? Answer: Invisible and unseen by human eyes because if god really did have an appearance, then there would be no way that we wouldn’t be able to view god’s real face. Alexander Danon: Question: What do you think god looks like? Why? Answer: Pale with a long robe and beard as whenever you watch a television program with god featured in it, god is always shown looking that way. Question: What do you think god’s voice sounds like? Why? Answer: Deep and echoing for the same reason I stated for my opinion on god’s appearance. Question: Where do you think god lives? Answer: Up in heaven, as I have been told most of my life by people that if you are good you join god in heaven, and if you are bad you go down to hell with the devil. Question: What does god want people to do? How do we know this? Answer: Make peace around the world, obey god’s laws and be kind to one another as god is known as a being to be worshipped, and someone would have to be pretty heartless not to want such a thing and almost every person would like to have a rule they put forward obeyed. Question: Is god Jewish? Why? Answer: No, God is the creator of all religions, so therefore isn’t any religion in particular, and is most likely all religions rather than just one. Question: What are some things that a good Jewish person should do? Why do you think that? Answer: Go to synagogue once a week and give stuff to people less fortunate than you because if you go to synagogue once a week you are observing Jewish custom’s, which means you are obeying god’s rules and giving things you don’t need to the poor means that you are helping people in need with no personal gain. Question: Do you think god is male or female? Why? Answer: I think god is neither male or female as in different religions and to different people god is known as either male or female and there is no sure way to check. David Block Question: What was it like to grow up as a Jew in the area in which you grew up? Answer: It was easy and pleasant as I grew up in a Jewish community. Question: What is one of the most important things you believe there is to being Jewish? Why? Answer: Having traditions to follow and being part of a community, as you are part of a civilisation that links you to ancestors and relatives not born yet. Question: Do you consider yourself to be religious, observant or neither? Why? Answer: I consider myself to be religious and observant, as I follow most of the Jewish customs, I go to synagogue at least once a week and on holidays, and I obey as many god’s rules as I can. Question: Have you ever communicated with god? Answer: No, I do believe in god but I do not believe it is possible to have a conversation with him/her. Question: Can you explain who or what god is? Why? Answer: No, as I don’t think you can describe a being as highly worshipped as god in words we know. Question: Are there times when you think more about god than others? Answer: Yes in times of stress or sickness I tend to think more about god then other times. Question: How do you understand the words religious and traditional? Is there any difference between them? Answer: Yes there is a difference between the two words. I believe that one word means is a set of beliefs and the other means a set of practices. Question: Do you think god Is Jewish? Why? Why not? Answer: I think god is not a particular religion, I believe that god is the essence of all religions or the creator of them at the least. Question: Do you think god is male or female? Why? Answer: The answer to that question is impossible to know seeing as different people and passages in books suggest completely different things, so unless you happen to meet god, the answer to that question is impossible to know or find out. Question: What do you think god looks like? Why? Answer: I think god is invisible, because if people who had talked to god had seen god’s appearance, then surely that would be written inside a book somewhere. |
