Pengfei Zhang (Franco)
Cultural Jigsaws
Before I read the article of Israel, I just know Israel is a country like any other
countries. I didn’t know any religious background about this country. Through reading this
article, I learned that Israel has three main religions Jewish, Muslim and Christian, and the
biggest religion is Jewish. Judaism is nondenominational there are cleavages that trends to
three main parts which are the Orthodox, the Traditional/ Conservative, and the Reform/
Progressive. Their religion have a long-time history which made their religion became so
different. I also find some information about ceremonial practices which they engaged in.
Like Jewish Funeral Practices, it means death is seen as a part of life and a part of the plan
which made by God. The extensive mourning rituals in Judaism did not indicate a rejection
or protest of death, but demonstrate the great value Judaism places on life in general and the
life of each individual person.
When I went to the historical background of this country, it was hard for me at first
because it’s really something confused me. But through doing research widely, I started to
understand a little bit. As it was mentioned in the article,the modern Israel appeared and built
up is the biggest event for Israel. In 1800s, Israel was ruled by Palestine near 70 years. In
1948, Emperor Titus’s legions marched into Jerusalem then the modern state of Israel was
founded. Then European Countries and the USA joined this Israel land. The European Union
and the USA set this fertile land to be a separate country as the same time they restricted
Israel declared its independence and almost immediately began fighting for Israel’s continued
existence. The war between Jordan, Egypt, and Syria attack Israel but despited their
overwhelming numbers, they were defeated in just six days, giving Israel precious and
