Judeo-Paganism, or Jewish Paganism, is a religious movement, related to Judaism and Neopaganism, which explores the origins of the Jewish religion and its ancient neighbors, the religions of the Canaanites, Phoenicians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Ugarit folk, and Egyptians.
Groups are generally small and often electronically-linked; common topics of discussion among Jewish Pagans include the historical links between El/Yahweh, Asherah, and Baal, as well as their respective cults; the character of Lilith in the Torah (in the book of Genesis); and the emergence of monotheism in Judaism, as well as general Jewish topics and Pagan topics.
Jewish Paganism is a new movement, and much of its history has yet to come out. For example, "Jewwitchery" apparently got its start when a solitary Wiccan-Jew, Melissa Oringer, decided to set up a coven in California in 1993. Other Jewish Pagan groups may be even newer, set up on the Internet in the late 1990s. The JAP-1 mailing group, listed among the links below, is an example of this. Some Jewish Pagan groups, such as the Order of the Temple of Astarte, have been around since the 1970s, and those may be offshoots of either Judaism or Neopaganism.
(need to insert more history if it can be found and edit it otherwise)
Correction, dated 01/10/2004:
By Melissa Mears (née Oringer)
Howdy. Found this page via web logs and such. I need to make a HUGE correction here - I am NOT the founder of "Jewitchery". Nor did I or have I ever started a "Jewitch coven". I am a Jew and I am a Wiccan. I am an elder in the Wiccan tradition, NROOGD, and hived from my mother coven in 1999. I never started any sort of coven in 1993.
"Jewitchery" is a created term, one used for and by folks who want to self-identify as such. There is no Jewitchery tradition, no Jewitchery religion, and no Jewitchery philosophy - people who self-identify as Jewitches are all over the map, from all walks of life, and have many and varied beliefs and practices (or lack thereof).
If you've read this far, feel free to visit my site, http://www.jewitchery.com. Be nice, have fun.
Blessings,
-M
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