Hi everyone!

     Hi everyone! I’m Amanda Aussems! I am a sophomore here at Ithaca College. I could not have had a better first year, so I am really looking forward to the rest of time here. My academic interests mostly focus around science, as I am in the Physical Therapy program, however, I also find cultural studies, religious studies, aging studies, and psychology studies particularly intriguing. I am going to be double minoring in Gerontology and Sports Psychology but I am taking this class because I would love to discover and understand more about the Jewish religion. I’m Jewish myself, and it is really important to me to be able to gain much more knowledge regarding the culture, practices, and history of Jewry. As for my personal interests, I have a tight-knit relationship with my family and love to spend time with them. I am an extremely active and outgoing person so I love to hang out with my friends by hiking, going to sporting events, etc., too. I’m an avid runner and am always running around campus, so if anyone sees me from class, say, “Hi!” and I will always say it back!

  

     The “Millet System” was put into place as an Ottoman policy in which Jews and Christians were recognized as a separate nation. This separate nation was known as “millet”. Within millet, Jews and Christians had religious and legal independence. The millet system was unique because it portrayed how Ottoman Muslim rule was open-minded regarding varying religious beliefs, and although the Ottoman Turks were Muslim they did not try to impose their religion on other groups. In fact, Christians and Jews in the empire were permitted to pray in their particular churches and synagogues as well as govern their people (means of courts, schools, and aid system). However, even though the Ottoman Turks were tolerant of other religions, their tolerance was not perfect. There was a clear partiality in the fact of government positions, rights, and responsibilities.