Jewish culture encompasses a whole gamut of things right from Jewish art that is visual, literature, cuisine and Jewish art related to performances etc. The culture of the Jewish people can be seen as more or less secular. This is because while they may follow a religion called Judaism they base their practice on deeds and everyday living rather than just belief. Over the years this culture has become more prominent and more and more people are taking an interest in it. Given that the Jews are a race that is spread all over the world, some of their culture shows the influence of various other lands.
Jewish Art - Visual
Visual art is an integral part of Jewish culture. However it is only recently that this art form seems to be gaining recognition by itself. The reason for this is quite simple.
Up until recent times Jewish art that is visual was not a topic in itself as it was often clubbed with either literature or music. Jewish visual art has been around probably since the religion itself. An example of this would be the sacred art of the community. There have always been images of animals and sometimes even humans painted on things like the prayer curtain etc. However in recent times the more contemporary artist are getting recognition for what they contribute to Jewish culture.
Literature
The literature that emerges out of the Jewish culture has a certain quality about it. It is a very diverse form of Jewish art especially because it has the influence of other regions as well. Jewish literature is not all secular. Authors like Isaac Singer and Sholem Aleichem have written works that narrate Jewish experiences in America and Eastern Europe. There are many Jewish writers in the United States today that are among the best in the industry. Jewish authors in the west tend to touch on Jewish culture in their works; they are more secular in their approach. Most secular literature from this race is now considered Jewish art as it has stood the test of time.
Theatre
Theatre is a very big part of Jewish culture as well. In fact this Jewish art form has embraced the influences from all over the world and incorporated it rather well. Jewish theatre can be divided into Yiddish theatre, American English theatre, European theatre and Israeli and Hebrew theatre. Yiddish theatre comprised of musicals, original plays, and some translations of opera etc. This form of theatre has been around in America since the beginning of the 20th century. American English theatre often saw Jewish writers making their mark on Broadway.
In Europe the writers spread their Jewish culture right up until World War 2. Up to 75% of the plays in Europe were written by a Jewish hand. Hebrew theatre has been around since the 1550s. Modern Hebrew theatre however is a bit different, the first of these Jewish art performances being a reference to the renaissance movement that took place in the 20th century.
Film
The last category to explore in Jewish culture is the film industry. Jewish art made its mark here as well. There was an era when Yiddish cinema was a hot favourite and during this time there were lots of Jewish films that were made. Jewish culture has also left its mark on modern Hollywood. There are some excellent examples of Jewish art films even today.