JUDAISM : Judaism originated in the Middle East over 3500 years ago : Jews believe that there is only one God with whom they have a covenant.

Birth of the Jew’s The Birth of the Jew’s is told in the first five book’s of the Bible It describes how God chose the Jews to be an example to the world, and how God and his chosen people worked out their relationship

Birth Continued God chose Abraham to be the father of a people God thought Abraham had good character, religious values, and would be a good leader

Abraham http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/judaism/history/abraham_1.shtml

Moses God guided the Jewish people through many troubles, God spoke to Moses and gave them a set of rules by which they should live, including the Ten Commandments.

Moses His teaching influences other faiths as well as Jews, however, it is his commentary on Jewish texts that mark him out as one of the most influential and important Jews in history. He wrote three major essays on Jewish law, the most famous being 'The Guide for the Perplexed', and each of them is still regarded as hugely important in Jewish philosophy. This monumental work laid the foundation for all subsequent Jewish philosophic inquiry known as Chakirah, and stimulated centuries of philosophic Jewish writing.

Judaism as a religion This was the beginning of Judaism as a structured religion The Jews, under God’s guidance became a powerful people with kings such as Saul, David, and Solomon, who built the first great temple.

Religious Texts First five book’s of the Bible Judaism has a rich history of religious text, but the central and most important religious document is the Torah.

Spiritual leaders Spiritual leaders are called Rabbis. A rabbi is simply a teacher, a person sufficiently educated in halakhah (Jewish law) and tradition to instruct the community and to answer questions

Synagogues Jews worship in Synagogues. The synagogue is the Jewish place of worship, but is also used as a place to study, and often as a community centre as well.

Ritual’s The main feast for many Jews is the Sabbath celebrated from Friday afternoon until Saturday afternoon, every week. The different Jewish groups have the same core celebration, but they differ much in the level of complexity and strictness

Ritual’s Continued http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/judaism/holydays/passover_1.shtml Passover

Today’s World Today, 14 million people identify themselves as Jewish. Modern Judaism is a complex phenomenon that incorporates both a nation and a religion, and often combines strict adherence to ritual laws with a more liberal attitude towards religious belief

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