JudaismJudaism is the original of the three Abrahamic faiths, which also includes Christianity and

Islam.

Origins/history

• Judaism originated in the Middle East over 3500 years

ago.

• Judaism was founded by Moses, although Jews trace their

history back to Abraham.

• Jews believe that there is only one God with whom they

have a covenant - In exchange for all the good that God has

done for the Jewish people, Jewish people keep God’s laws

and try to bring holiness into every aspect of their lives.

Beliefs

• Judaism has a rich history of religious text, but the central and

most important religious document is the Torah. All the religious

texts together are called the Bible.

• Jewish traditional or oral law, the interpretation of the laws of the

Torah, is called halakhah.

• Spiritual leaders are called Rabbis.

• Jews worship in Synagogues or in Temples (no place of learning).

The large Jewish congregation in Indianapolis is called: The

Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation

1. Yom Kippur, the most sacred and solemn day of the Jewish year,

brings the Days of Repentance to a close.

On Yom Kippur, God makes the final decision on what the next year

will be like for each person.

2. Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year festival and

commemorates the creation of the world. It lasts 2 days. The

traditional greeting between Jews is "L'shanah tovah" ... "for a good

New Year".

One of the synagogue rituals for Rosh Hashanah is the blowing of

the Shofar, a ram's horn trumpet. A hundred notes are sounded in a

special rhythm.

Holy Days

Holy Days Continued

3. Passover is one of the most important religious festivals in the Jewish calendar.

Jews celebrate the Feast of Passover (Pesach in Hebrew) to commemorate the liberation of the Children of Israel who were led out of Egypt by Moses.

Jews have celebrated Passover since about 1300 BC, following the rules laid down by God in Exodus 13.

4. Hanukkah or Chanukah is the Jewish Festival of Lights. It dates back to two centuries before the beginning of Christianity.

The festival begins on the 25th day of Kislev and is celebrated for eight days. In the western calendar Hanukkah is celebrated in November or December.The word Hanukkah means rededication and commemorates the Jews' struggle for religious freedom

Population

▪There were around 14 million Jewish people in the world in 2007

▪Most residing (living) in the USA and Israel.

▪6 million Jews were murdered in the Holocaustin an attempt to wipe out Judaism. If not for the holocaust there would be 26-32 million Jews in the world today.