The Invention of Jewish People

The book The invention of Jewish People is a study of the historiography of the jewish people by Shlomo Sand.  This book was in the best seller list in Israel for nineteen weeks.  It has been translated into more languages than any other israeli history book.  It has also received a lot of criticism for being a far cry from a 'real' work of scholarship and being plodding and dull for contradicting current DNA studies and test results, and more.  Although it has much criticism to it you cannot deny that its wide success doesn't show some merit to the book.

A Jewish Misconception

Have you ever heard of jewish people having horns?  Well apparently there is actually a negative stereotype that jews had horns.  The idea that Jews have horns is based on a simple misreading of a Biblical verse. While this misconception has often been used by anti-Semites to link Jews to devils, its origins and use by artists like Michelangelo in his famous sculpture of Moses are far less hostile. It grows out of a poor translation of Exodus 34:30, which describes Moses as having an aura of light. The Hebrew word for the aura can be misunderstood as having horns.

Influential Jews

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/story-jews/explore-the-diaspora/10-influential-jewish-american-artists/

http://listverse.com/2008/10/21/top-10-most-influential-jews-in-history/

In the articles above it tells of some very influential jews.  I was actually surprised by the amount of culture today founded on the making of this religion.  Jewish culture is center in many innovative designs, artistic pieces, and scholarly growth.

What the Media Doesn't Say

http://www.mintpressnews.com/what-the-medias-getting-wrong-about-israel-and-palestine-and-why-it-matters/193607/


The article above describes the conflicts in the middle east over the past years.  As we all know there has never been much peace in the middle east.  Now as the Israeli, palestinian crisis grows this article shows some shocking facts about the conflict.  As a supporter of Israel it doesn't come as a shock that our media ignores the crimes done by Israel.  We want to keep public approval strong for our aid so a lot of the bad facts about Israel are swept under the rug.  But the truth is is that both sides are doing heinous acts against one another.  Our media likes to say that palestine is the culprit for all the evil war crimes but  According to the Palestinian Ministry of Information’s latest report on civilian casualties, one Palestinian child has been killed by Israel every three days for the last 13 years.  This just goes to show that the blame does not fall on one side.  War is hardly ever right versus wrong and it certainly isn't the case here.  Brutality is evident in every war, so I just encourage that you take a closer look when you see todays media.  

Shanghai's Upbringing

Shanghai actually has had a lot of help in its road to prosperity from jews. for instance, the son of Sun Yat-sen and eventually the premier of the Nationalist Party,  argued that “Jews were wealthy and talented; if we could make a favorable impression on them and obtain their support, it would be a great help to us.”  Even though communist took over after this civil conflict, they still had an interest in jewish potential.  The economic boomed in 1978 were accompanied by a deliberate study by Chinese elites of perceived Jewish financial practices.  The article continues to go on describing how jewish influenced really helped shanghai's growth.  This article shows that jews know really do know their stuff!

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/118477/shanghai-one-greatest-jewish-cities-ever-constructed

Superman is Jewish

As it turns out, superman has a lot of jewish background to him.  His creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, were the children of Jewish immigrants. The comic book industry, where they spent a significant portion of their young careers, was created in New York by Jews like Max Ginsburg, Bob Kahn, and Jacob Kurtzberg, who hid their ethnicity behind names like Gaines, Kane, and Kirby.  People find superman jewish in the connection they make with other jewish characteristics.  They find him like moses in the fact that he wasn't raised by his real family, like moses wasn't raised by jews, but yet they gain powers to help those in need. Also presented as evidence are the similarities between the S symbol on Superman’s chest and the Hebrew character Lamedh.  You can also connect Superman’s code of ethics—“Truth, Justice, and the American Way”—to the Mishnaic values of “truth, peace, and justice.”   These connections don't necessarily prove that superman is a jew.  Non of the movies or comics say he is jewish, but it is just a hidden background that people often prescribe to the hero.  Either way I can see the connection in the ways he acts.  Its also not unheard of for writers to attribute their personal beliefs to their characters.  But either way I never would have made the connection.  I think its interesting that such a popular hero had such a religious background in his creation.   

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/08/16/superman-is-jewish-the-hebrew-roots-of-america-s-greatest-superhero.html