JUDAISMGentry & Natalie

Origin

• Started with Abraham (considered to be the father of Judaism) who believed in one supreme being his name was changed from Abram to

Abraham after God promised him that he would be the father of many nations

• This idea of believing in one supreme being was passed on to Abraham’s son Isaac

• Passed from Isaac to his son Jacob (whose name was changed to Israel)

• Then was passed from Jacob to his twelve sons who founded the twelve tribes of Israel

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Origin Continuing• Who is man?

Man is created in the image of God• Why is man here?

To keep the Torah and God’s commandments (the mitzvot)

To glorify God • Where is man going?

Judaism doesn’t say anything specific about a certain place (like heaven) but it does teach about an afterlife

Olam Ha-Ba: The World to Come Because there is not much in the Torah that talks

about an afterlife, there is room left for personal opinion

Temporary punishment after death is within traditional belief

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Burial Practices

After someone dies, a Shomerim (or guard) stays with the body from the time of death until the funeral and burial

Cremation and organ removal is prohibited unless needed for an autopsy or organ donation

Open caskets are also not allowed Bodies are buried in a linen shroud so that the poor do not

receive less honor than the rich

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Holy Book

The Torah Considered to be the Old Testament in the Christian

Bible Can also be used in the context of only being the five

books of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy)

Also referred to as the Tanakh Is basically consisted of the laws that Jews should abide

by

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Holy Places

The Western Wall The Temple Mount Jerusalem (considered the Holy City)

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Holidays

Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) Consists of fasting, depriving oneself of pleasures,

and repenting of ones sins from the past year Rosh Hashanah

First of the year (Jewish New Year) Passover

Celebration of the Exodus from Egypt Marks the beginning of the harvest season

Hanukkah Rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem

following the Jewish victory over the Greeks in 165 B.C.

Celebrated over eight daysGentlie

Calendar

Lunar calendar Each month begins on the new moon Months are about twenty-nine days so a year

is about 350 days Causes agricultural problems Solved by adding a month to seven out of

nineteen years Allows holidays to be celebrated in the same

season

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Places of Worship

The Jewish church is called the synagogue, shul, or temple

Everyone is to go on Shabbos (Saturday) Women can go to the synagogue whenever

they want Men are advised to attend the synagogue

three times a day and are to pray with a minyan (which is a quorum of ten adult males)

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Conflicts

Jews declared independence in 1948 and the United Nations set the boundaries of Israel The next day, the neighboring Arab Muslim

states declared war Thereafter, Jerusalem was divided between

Israel and Jordan Western Jerusalem became part of Israel

Palestinians were also a conflict with Israel Egypt and Jordan renounced the Gaza Strip

and West Bank Natatree

Conflicts Continuing

Ultimate obstacle to peace in Middle East is the status of Jerusalem If one religion maintains exclusive political

control over Jerusalem then the other religious groups will not be satisfied

Israelis have no intentions of giving up control of the Old City and Palestinians have no intention of giving up their claim to it

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Holocaust

One of the greatest tragedies for Jews was during World War II (1939-1945)

Jews were required to wear the Star of David on their clothes so they would be set apart from everyone else

Jews hid from Nazis and lived in fear of being found and taken away

Countless Jews were brought to concentration camps which is where most of them died

During World War II, Hitler persecuted thousands of Jews in Europe (specifically Germany) and was responsible for the death of millions of them

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Sources Page

http://www.religionfacts.com/judaism/beliefs/human.htm http://www.jewfaq.org/origins.htm http://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/jerusalem-temple-mou

nt http://judaism101.com http://www.religionfacts.com/judaism/practices/worship_prayer.h

tm An Introduction to Human Geography by James M. Rubenstein