The Amish Spacial lifestyle

History

The Amish is a community that her originated in Switzerland and Germany. Until the 17th century The Amish were part of the Mennonites (kind of religious stream in Christianity).  In the past The Amish community were persecuted by the religious establishment and the political establishment in Switzerland and Germany, and because of that in the beginning many of them moved to Pfalz and Alsace, because there the discrimination were less harsh. After in the 18th century most of them moved to USA and lived in the State of Pennsylvania, and from there spread to Other North American Countries.

Ideology

The principles of The Amish community are based on separation between the world and his culture to seclusion with the community and family. The community people live in closed communities, usually in farms, They believe that there is obligation of choice about religion from willing. They support in a simple lifestyle and avoid from modern technology. They believe in modesty, so out of modesty the women don’t wear jewelry. Also, they don’t believe in the  political establishment, so they don’t vote in elections, and don’t join to the army.

Where and how do they live today?

Today The Amish communities is living mostly in USA, and few living in Canada and South America, from the 18th century. The biggest community is in Indiana, near the biggest community of Mennonites. The Amish communities are exists in 22 different states, mostly far away from cities, because they prefer to live farms and little communities. The Amish don’t have localities of their own. they live with other population, “normal” one, in the villages area. In the localities that they live, sometimes you can see 2 houses that one house with a car and another with a carriage.

Education

In the past The Amish didn’t had their own schools, and they joined to schools in the area. After the American society start to change and the city became closer to the villages. The Amish wanted to avoid joining to the schools in the city, so they had to establish their own schools. The goal of the idea was to prevent general education from the children, because they wanted that the children to continue in the ways of their parents in the farm. Their teaching method is called “one room school”, in this method all the children are learning together until they are 1213 years old, and after that they have special exemption from studies.

Religion

The Amish is a kind of Christian stream. The Amish Holy book is the Bible, which includes the Old Testament and the New Testament. They don’t Interpreting commentary the Bible, and leave it as it is. In addition to the New Testament they have rules by which they live their life, this rules called “Ordong”.

Religious ceremonies

• Wedding- The ceremony start in 8:30 in the morning, after organization from 4:00 in the morning. The ceremony in lasts 4 hours. The wedding is in the bride’s house. Usually there are 200 invited people. The wedding is considered to a community event no less than family event. The bride need to make her dress from blue cloth, and she will use it in prayers in the years to come. In their wedding there aren’t: kisses, ring, flowers, Pictures and catering. The weddings are happening between November to December after the fall season ends, and in Tuesdays and Thursdays, because in this days there are less agriculture work. (The familiarity between the partners is in  singing evenings, where they get to know each other. The boy accompanies the girl in the carriage to her home, and they keeping their relationship as a secret. To get married they need their families permission).

• Regular religious ceremonies- once in 2 weeks all The Amish community friends are meeting in barn of one the community friends. The point of the ceremony is to sing their anthems, but also hear sermons. The Amish tradition of life and the work of God are the base to hold the sermons and prayers in their houses, not in the Church. Another version says that the tradition to pray at their houses is an old tradition from the period of persecution, when the The Amish couldn’t pray at the churches like other currents in Christianity.
• Baptism ceremonies- The baptism ceremonies are divided to 2 parts: the first baptism and the second baptism. At the first one the person baptized as a baby. In the second time the person baptized as an adult, because as an adult he can to decide if he want to get baptized or not.

Leadership

The choosing-  The community is leaded by religion people, but they don’t have to be Scholars. The leader has to be Professional in religious matters. The choosing of the leaders is divided to 2 parts: 

• The community members are choosing the people who they think can be their leader by democratic elections (charismatic aspect).
• Raising the fate of one holy book among all the books of chosen people’s of the first step (Divine aspect).

The leader role- The leader in The Amish called Bischoff. The Bischoff is their source to answers about their questions religion. The Bischoffs of all the communities are coming together to get general decisions about important things. Sometimes one of The Amish communities resists and don’t listen to the Bischoff’s judgment, than the decision in let them be part of The Amish is affected by the type of issue they opposed and how they opposed it.

Lifestyle

Work- The Amish calling themself the “Simple People”, that means people who are close to the ground. Most of them are farmers, who raise animals and cultivate the ground, and this is their livelihood. They almost don’t machines.

Clothes- The men are wear black clothes and a wide-brimmed hat, in addition they don’t have mustache. The women wear long dresses and a white hat. They believe that the rigor to the difference in clothing encourages humility and separation from the outside world.

Languages- They know 3 languages: Pennsylvania Dutch and Hochdeutsch- like they spoke in europe ,and English to speak with people who aren’t in their community.

Relations with the authorities- The Amish people are living apart from the society and advocate for full community independence. they don’t want to get any service or budget from the state, and they don’t get unemployment benefits, welfare and social security or medical. The community people have an arrangement with the government regarding taxes.

communication- The society oversight is based on encouragement to in-depth conversations and face to face meeting, and that why they can’t have phone. Today is acceptable to have a phone at the far end of the village, in a building that making conversations difficult to talk long and unnecessary conversations.

New Words:

1. Establish- להקים.

2. Discrimination- אפליה.

3. Seclusion- מבודד.

4. Agriculture- חקלאות.

5. Sermons- דרשות.