Judaism

1. Judaism is three thousand five hundred years old.

2. It has about twelve million followers.

3. Judaism was founded by Abraham, the Hebrew leader.

4. Judaism is the oldest of the monotheistic faiths, which are religions with one God.

5. Jews believe God appointed the Jews to be his chosen people.

6. They have a covenant relationship with God.

7. In exchange for the good deeds God has done for them, they will keep God’s laws and bring holiness to all aspects of their lives.

8. Jews believe people should be judged by the way they live their faith.

9. The place of worship is a synagogue and the sacred text is the Torah which is stored inside the Ark.

10. The Ark is a cupboard that has an Eternal Light above it as a symbol of God’s presence.

11. No-one can touch the Torah, so a special pointer called a yad is used when reading it.

12. The Torah contains six hundred and thirteen commandments, telling Jews how they should live their lives.

14. The most important of the commandments are the ten commandments given to Moses on Mount Sinai.

15. Men cover their heads in the synagogue and, in most cases, the worship is in Hebrew.

16. Skull caps (kippah) and prayer shawls are worn.

17. Jewish spiritual leaders are called Rabbis - they are not priests and have no religious status.

18. Moses is an important figure because he gave the Jews the Torah, which contains the laws of God.

19. Judaism has the Star of David as its symbol.

20. The Menorah is one of the oldest symbols of the faith.

21. This is a candelabrum with seven candle holders, which symbolises the burning bush as seen by Moses on Mount Sinai.

22. The most important day for Jews is the Sabbath (Shabbat) which starts sunset on Friday until sunset on Saturday.

23. Family and community are very important within Jewish life and many activities are based around the home.

24. Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah ceremonies are held for boys of thirteen and girls of twelve to celebrate the passage into adulthood.

25. Major Jewish festivals are: Passover, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot.