Judaism

By: Neeraja Panchapakesan

History

Judaism began during the Bronze age in the Middle East The kingdom fell apart around 920 BC and the Jewish people split into groups Jews were stronger during the next 300 years and were able to practice their faith freely

In 175 the King of Syria destroyed the temple and established a series of laws aiming to wipe out Judaism. There was a revolt and the temple was restored

Internal divisions weakened the kingdom and the Romans took over in 63 BC

During the first 150 years, the Jews rebelled and got restrictions on freedom

The next Millennium began with the Crusades, military operations by Christian countries to capture the Holy Land

By the end of the 1700s, Jews began to suffer persecution in central Europe, and in Russia they began to be restricted to living in a particular area of the country called The Pale

Reform Judaism came in the 19th century and held that Jewish law and ritual should move with the times, and not be fixed

The 1930s and 1940s was dominated by the Holocaust when 6 million Jews were persecuted

Important People

Abraham- established the belief that there is only one God, the creator of the universe; Abraham was brought by God from Mesopotamia to Canaan, he entered into a covenant in exchange for sole recognition of Yahweh as supreme universal deity and authority

Saul- the first King of Israel, was a Torah Scholar and a successful warrior-king against the enemies of Israel.

Sarah - First Lady of the Imahot, Founding Mothers of the Jewish People, the wife and teaching partner of Avraham

Beliefs

There is one God that created the universe and has a relationship with each individual

God continues to work in the world, affecting everything that the people do

There are no other Gods Keep God’s laws God appointed the Jews to be his chosen

people in order to set an example of holiness and ethical behavior to the world

Life Events

Bar/Bat Mitzvah- "Bar Mitzvah" literally means "son of the commandment." "Bar" is "son", "Mitzvah" is "commandment”, "Bat" is daughter, the term refers to the child who is coming of age, and it is strictly correct to refer to someone as becoming a bar or bat mitzvah

Marriage and Divorce- a voice from heaven will tell who your mate will be, but not all marriages are good, so divorce is allowed and is accepted as a fact of life

Death and Mourning- death is not a tragedy under any circumstances, it is a natural process, mourning shows respect for the dead

Afterlife- only 1 life, each person is judged by the life they lived

Types

Orthodox- includes Hasidim and Haredim, believe the Torah and the Talmud Contain the actual words of God which must be Applied in all circumstances

Progressive- includes

Reform Judaism and Liberal Judaism,

believe in the divine inspiration of the Torah Conservative- attempt

to have a positive attitude

toward modern culture, the idea

of flexibility is deeply rooted in them

Holidays

Rosh Hashanah- the new year of the Jewish calendar Yom Kippur- the holiest day, day that everyone is

judged by God Passover- an eight day festival celebrating the freeing

of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage Hanukkah- eight day Holiday of

Lights celebrating the miracle

of a little oil that lasted eight

days and the victory of

ancient Israelites over the Syrian-Greeks

Place of Prayer

Shul- used by the Orthodox and Chasidim Synagogue- used by the Conservative Jews Temple- used by the Reform Jews

Bibliography

http://www.jewfaq.org/toc.htm http://www.remember.org/guide/Facts.root.whoare.html http://www.world-faiths.com/Judaism/judaism.htm http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/judaism/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/judaism/ http://www.aish.com/holidays/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/judaism/history/

history_1.shtml http://www.simpletoremember.com/vitals/

Great_Rabbis_and_Jewish_Leaders.htm