Judaism

Can you think about ways that Judaism is like Christianity?

What is Judaism?

Judaism is one of the world’s oldest religion – it is around 2,000 years older than Christianity!

There are around 13.2 million Jews living in the world today – nearly half of these live in a country called Israel.

Judaism and Christianity both have very important symbols....

The Jewish symbol is the Star of David, a six-pointed star that we draw by drawing two triangles, different ways up. It is named after the Jewish king David, who defeated the giant Goliath.

Can you think of the symbol that represents Christianity? Clue: there’s one in your school hall!

The symbol of the cross represents Christianity, just like the Star of David represents the

Jewish religion.

Both Judaism and Christianity have important holy texts as well....

The holy book that

Christians read is called

the Bible

The Torah

The Jewish holy book is written in the

language of Hebrew. It is on a large,

decorative scroll and has the same stories as the first five books of the Christian Old

Testament – so it tells of Noah’s Ark, Adam

and Eve and Moses. It is called....

What About Worship?

When Christians want to worship God they go to the church.....

Synagogues

Jews go to a holy building to

worship as well. They come in many shapes and sizes and

can be decorative or

very plain. They are called....

A RabbiA Jewish holy man

is called a Rabbi – he takes the services and ceremonies in a synagogue, just like a priest or vicar would in a Christian Church.

Here is a Rabbi reading the Torah

Do Jews pray?At school we pray to God during collective worship and at the end of the day. Jewish people pray too – mainly in their homes and in the synagogue.

What do you notice about this Jewish man praying?

Did you notice what he was wearing?

This man is wearing a

special shawl called a tallit

or a tallis, and also a special hat

called a skullcap, or a

kippah.

Why do they wear these?

Kippahs and tallits are worn to cover

the head – sometimes all the time, but mainly

inside the synagogue. This is

so Jews always have something dividing

them from God above them in

heaven – so God will not be offended.

Can you think of anything like this in Christianity?

Although Christians do not

have any traditions exactly like this, in many

churches, women and men must both make

sure their shoulders are covered – as a

mark of respect to God.

What does it mean to be Jewish?

Introduction to Judaism - The Jewish Path 5:50http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAH8vW-CRNw