h i s t o r y & d e m o g r a p h i c s
According to information provided by the book, “Beautiful Newton, The Garden City of Massachusetts”, that Newton, originally a part of Cambridge, Massachusetts, began around 1631, embracing a considerable large territory that continued to expand due to additional grants. Yet in its first decade, there were only seven families settled in this territory, with all but one hailing from England. Over the next two centuries, Newton would steadily decrease in territory, selling off acres to surrounding areas to create territories such as Roxbury, Brookline, Waltham, Chestnut Hill, and Reservoir. By 1847, Newton would be made up of 11,410 acres of land.
According to the Newton Massachusetts government-secured website, the general demographics the Garden City boasts a grand total 87,018 population stat out of the 6,648,138 total population of Massachusetts, as well as a 31,139 total household stat out of the 2,528,592 households in the state. 80.30% of the Newton’s population is white, while the Asian population represents a humble 13.00% of those who live there. The Black or African American population is an underwhelming 3.50%, and the American Indian and Alaska Native represents on 0.10% of the populace. There are no Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islanders residing in Newton.
According to the Newton Massachusetts government-secured website, the general demographics the Garden City boasts a grand total 87,018 population stat out of the 6,648,138 total population of Massachusetts, as well as a 31,139 total household stat out of the 2,528,592 households in the state. 80.30% of the Newton’s population is white, while the Asian population represents a humble 13.00% of those who live there. The Black or African American population is an underwhelming 3.50%, and the American Indian and Alaska Native represents on 0.10% of the populace. There are no Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islanders residing in Newton.
t h e s h a b b a t
After a thorough amount of research pertaining to over 80% of Newton's population, which is white, this percentage tends to practice Jewish traditions (This is the result of further research which led to the conclusion that the white 80.30% of the population is in fact Jewish).The Jewish culture has a considerable amount of traditional practices, but one of the most notable traditions is Shabbat.
According to ‘Reform Judaism’, Shabbat is observed by Jewish people as a day that isinvested in the fulfillment of a biblical commandment, which allows labor for six days and theseventh day would be a Sabbath in honor of Adonai. Shabbat starts on Friday evening and endson Saturday night. The day is recognized through the efforts of who is honoring it, things likeJewish music playing in the house throughout the day, or decorating the house with naturalprops that are aesthetically pleasing to the eye. The main goal of all these small perks is tosimply incorporate anything that can help set the mood for Shabbat.
The most notable portion of the honoring of Shabbat is the Friday night meal. The tableis set with the best essentials for dining; fine china is not necessarily an expectation, but anaesthetically pleasing table is once again the goal for a Shabbat dinner, gathering the bestdishes and table linen available in the house. While modern dishes and silverware are set andthe food is placed, there are still traditions that are held in these aspects as well. Wine and aKiddush cup will be present on the table, as well as two loaves of Jewish bread called Challah.Candles and candlesticks will also be places in the middle of the table. All members and guestsof the household gather to the table come dinner time, and the table is blessed through a ritualbroken down to three sections. First, the candles are lit in the middle of the table, and everyonecloses their eyes while the Shabbat blessing is recited, expressing gratitude and givingreverence to Adonai and the act of sanctification on them through the latter's mitzvot.
After the blessing and the lighting of the candles, the Kiddush cup is also blessed. TheKiddush cup has no predetermined design; more often than not, Kiddush cups are elegantly andbeautifully handmade for the sake of the Shabbat. In short, any cup can be used as a Kiddushcup for the Friday night dinner. Interestingly, there is a traditional rule that condones no morethan 3.3 ounces of wine in a Kiddush cup. A section from the Jewish Creation Story is firstrecited, then the wine that is in the Kiddush cup is blessed, followed by the blessing is anotherblessing which cover Shabbat itself. Finally, the two loaves of Jewish Bread called challah areblessed. The blessing of the Challah has a generally singular meaning, which is to “rememberthe Sabbath day”. The challah is then cut and shared, and then the feasting begins
According to ‘Reform Judaism’, Shabbat is observed by Jewish people as a day that isinvested in the fulfillment of a biblical commandment, which allows labor for six days and theseventh day would be a Sabbath in honor of Adonai. Shabbat starts on Friday evening and endson Saturday night. The day is recognized through the efforts of who is honoring it, things likeJewish music playing in the house throughout the day, or decorating the house with naturalprops that are aesthetically pleasing to the eye. The main goal of all these small perks is tosimply incorporate anything that can help set the mood for Shabbat.
The most notable portion of the honoring of Shabbat is the Friday night meal. The tableis set with the best essentials for dining; fine china is not necessarily an expectation, but anaesthetically pleasing table is once again the goal for a Shabbat dinner, gathering the bestdishes and table linen available in the house. While modern dishes and silverware are set andthe food is placed, there are still traditions that are held in these aspects as well. Wine and aKiddush cup will be present on the table, as well as two loaves of Jewish bread called Challah.Candles and candlesticks will also be places in the middle of the table. All members and guestsof the household gather to the table come dinner time, and the table is blessed through a ritualbroken down to three sections. First, the candles are lit in the middle of the table, and everyonecloses their eyes while the Shabbat blessing is recited, expressing gratitude and givingreverence to Adonai and the act of sanctification on them through the latter's mitzvot.
After the blessing and the lighting of the candles, the Kiddush cup is also blessed. TheKiddush cup has no predetermined design; more often than not, Kiddush cups are elegantly andbeautifully handmade for the sake of the Shabbat. In short, any cup can be used as a Kiddushcup for the Friday night dinner. Interestingly, there is a traditional rule that condones no morethan 3.3 ounces of wine in a Kiddush cup. A section from the Jewish Creation Story is firstrecited, then the wine that is in the Kiddush cup is blessed, followed by the blessing is anotherblessing which cover Shabbat itself. Finally, the two loaves of Jewish Bread called challah areblessed. The blessing of the Challah has a generally singular meaning, which is to “rememberthe Sabbath day”. The challah is then cut and shared, and then the feasting begins