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Jewish author discusses role of Judaism in world history
Justin Oswald
Issue date: 10/23/07 Section: Campus
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10/23/07 - In a world with separatism and ethnic hatred, is there one ideology that transcends ethnic, political and cultural boundaries?
The answer is yes, according to Loolwa Khazzoom, and it is called Judaism.
Last night Khazzoom, a Jewish author and artist, spoke at the University of Rhode Island's Multicultural Center to about 35 people.
But this was no ordinary lecture. The room was arranged as any other educational event would be, with rows of chairs, a PowerPoint presentation and of course cookies in the back. What appeared to be a "sit-and-listen" lecture turned into two hours of songs, questions, discussion and history.
When it comes to Judaism people need to know all they can, because "I see a lack of understanding and knowledge," Khazzoom said.
The topic of Khazzoom's presentation was entitled "Jews Without Borders: 4,000 years of Jewish history across the globe." Khazzoom conveyed to the audience, or in this case participants, that 4,000 years allows a lot of migration and change.
"We have mixed and mingled wherever we have gone," Khazzoom said.
To get her points across, Khazzoom had people gather in small groups and discuss questions she asked. The questions created a buzz from people discussing, where do Jews come from? What do Jews look like? If Jesus was a Middle Eastern Jew, why is he often portrayed as Aryan?
Although Judaism is smaller than Christianity and Islam, Khazzoom's presentation pointedly showed that it is ubiquitous, with followers in China, India, Ethiopia, Columbia and Jamaica.
The participants also sang the choruses of three short songs. One song, "Sooree Goalleeya," was about nuts and fish. After Khazzoom read through the song once, she began playing on a drum and almost everyone began clapping and singing. With all this activity there was plenty of room and time for Khazzoom to expound upon the last 4,000 years of Judaism.
"The middle-ages stunk," Khazzoom said.
The answer is yes, according to Loolwa Khazzoom, and it is called Judaism.
Last night Khazzoom, a Jewish author and artist, spoke at the University of Rhode Island's Multicultural Center to about 35 people.
But this was no ordinary lecture. The room was arranged as any other educational event would be, with rows of chairs, a PowerPoint presentation and of course cookies in the back. What appeared to be a "sit-and-listen" lecture turned into two hours of songs, questions, discussion and history.
When it comes to Judaism people need to know all they can, because "I see a lack of understanding and knowledge," Khazzoom said.
The topic of Khazzoom's presentation was entitled "Jews Without Borders: 4,000 years of Jewish history across the globe." Khazzoom conveyed to the audience, or in this case participants, that 4,000 years allows a lot of migration and change.
"We have mixed and mingled wherever we have gone," Khazzoom said.
To get her points across, Khazzoom had people gather in small groups and discuss questions she asked. The questions created a buzz from people discussing, where do Jews come from? What do Jews look like? If Jesus was a Middle Eastern Jew, why is he often portrayed as Aryan?
Although Judaism is smaller than Christianity and Islam, Khazzoom's presentation pointedly showed that it is ubiquitous, with followers in China, India, Ethiopia, Columbia and Jamaica.
The participants also sang the choruses of three short songs. One song, "Sooree Goalleeya," was about nuts and fish. After Khazzoom read through the song once, she began playing on a drum and almost everyone began clapping and singing. With all this activity there was plenty of room and time for Khazzoom to expound upon the last 4,000 years of Judaism.
"The middle-ages stunk," Khazzoom said.
