This field deals with the social, cultural, and political aspects of Jewish life, including Jewish identity, gender roles, and community dynamics.
History of Judaism: This covers the origin and development of Judaism, its religious and cultural practices, and its significance in world history.
Jewish Demographics: This refers to the study of the size, distribution, and trends of the Jewish population across the world.
Jewish Identity: This is an exploration of what it means to be Jewish, including cultural, religious, and social aspects of identity.
Jewish Communities: This covers the social structures, organization, and practices of Jewish communities around the world, including synagogues, schools, and other institutions.
Jewish Religious Beliefs and Practices: This explores the core beliefs, rituals, and practices of Judaism, including the role of the Torah, prayer, and the cycle of holidays and festivals.
Jewish Ethics and Values: This covers the ethical and moral principles that guide Jewish thought and behavior, including ideas of justice, compassion, and social responsibility.
Jewish Philosophy and Thought: This delves into the ideas and concepts that underpin Jewish belief and practice, including areas such as metaphysics, epistemology, and theology.
Gender and Judaism: This examines the role of gender in Jewish society, including issues around religious leadership, family life, and sexuality.
Jewish Education: This covers the system of Jewish education, including schools, yeshivas, and informal learning programs.
Jewish Culture and Arts: This explores the rich cultural heritage of Judaism, including literature, music, art, and cuisine.
Jewish Politics and Activism: This focuses on the role of Jews in politics and social activism, including issues of human rights, democracy, and social justice.
Anti-Semitism: This covers the history and contemporary manifestations of anti-Jewish prejudice, including the Holocaust, hate crimes, and institutional discrimination.
Jewish-Christian Relations: This examines the complex historical and theological relationship between Jews and Christians, including issues of interfaith dialogue and cooperation.
Jewish-Muslim Relations: This explores the relationship between Jews and Muslims, including issues of conflict and cooperation.
Israel and Zionism: This covers the history and political landscape of Israel, as well as the ideology of Zionism and its influence on Jewish identity and society.
Orthodox Judaism Sociology: Traditional Judaism, Orthodoxy enjoys a particular place in Jewish civilization. This branch of Judaism exists in a diverse range of cultures with many subdivisions.
Reform Judaism Sociology: Reform Judaism is widely viewed as the most liberal movement within Judaism. Factors including a changing society, assimilationist pressures that became significant by the early 19th century, and Enlightenment ideas shaped Reform Judaism. Progressive Jewish theology emphasizes the need for social action and philanthropy.
Conservative Judaism Sociology: Conservative Judaism allows for tradition and change to coexist, thus, reflecting the historical development of Judaism. While the movement is ideologically positioned between Orthodox and Reform, it has shown a more recent affinity for the stream of progressive Judaism.
Reconstructionist Judaism Sociology: As a new denomination, Reconstructionist Judaism emphasizes inclusion and community-building. Reconstructionist Judaism relies on empirical observation to inform and adapt Jewish law and its practices, and adherents view Judaism as a cultural civilization.
Hassidic Judaism Sociology: Hassidic Jews follow the teachings of the Ba'al Shem Tov of Poland. Hassidic Judaism promotes happiness through prayer and service, the value of learning, and the importance of the mystical nature of God's guidance in the world.
Humanistic Judaism Sociology: Humanistic Judaism is a newer form of Judaism, and it is not considered a religion. It emphasizes Jewish cultural and ethnic identity, and it seeks to encourage the sharing of Jewish values and practices with others. Humanistic Judaism can include Judaism but need not exclude others.
Karaite Judaism Sociology: The Karaites, a separate denomination from Pharisees or Rabbinic Judaism, follow halakhah founded exclusively on what archaeology and faith correlate to the written Torah as opposed to the traditional rabbinic oral law. They do not recognize the Talmud and use biblical textual analysis to interpret the will of God.