1. J UDAISM

2. B ASIC B ELIEFS OF J UDAISM God is not associated with other gods, only people and the world God is only concerned with the actions of human beings Prayer to God is the only way to connect with him

3. O RIGIN OF J UDAISM Began during the 6 th -5 th century BCE According to scholars, exiled Judahites in Babylon altered ideas for monotheism, divine law and Covent becoming Judaism Then they returned to Jerusalem to build a kingdom based on Judaism According to the Hebrew bible, Judaism started when God chose the children of Israel as his own people

4. T HE I MPORTANT S YMBOLS AND T RADITIONS OF J UDAISM The mezuzah: an important symbol that reminds people of the presence of God. Baby naming ceremonies, also known as Simchat Bat ceremonies for baby girls takes place in synagogues eight days after birth. Simcha (marriage ceremony) celebrates the union between two Jewish people The marriage traditionally takes place under a canopy, or chuppah.

5. I MPORTANT E VENTS CAUSED BY J UDAISM The sacking of Jerusalem by the Roman Empire The Crusades by Catholic Christians WWII and the Holocaust Today’s Palestinian-Israeli conflict The making of the country of Israel http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judai sm/jewpop.html

6. T HE G OD ( S ) OF J UDAISM There is one god The only proper name for God is “YHWH” Elohim also means god God can also be called “El” or “Shadda” which mean the mighty one and almighty respectively Elyon=most high Avinu=our father All refer to same god

7. T HE H ISTORY OF J UDAISM Abraham was regarded as the first Hebrew, and the father of the Jewish people. After he fulfilled his promise in worshipping only one God, Abraham was rewarded with his son Jacob inheriting the land of Israel. They later went to Mount Sinai where they received the Torah, which is the book of Moses. 63BCE, Romans take over Israel 70CE, Sacking of Jerusalem, Jews scatter (The Diaspora

8. T HE H ISTORY OF J UDAISM After WWII (1948), the Jews are given the country of Israel Currently, there is a “religious war” in the Middle East between Israel and Arabian countries

9. P OPULARITY OF J UDAISM Over 15 million Jewish people Countries with top Jewish populations >>> RankCountryJews % of World Jewish Population 1Israel5,313,80040.6% 2United States5,275,00040.3% 3France491,5003.8% 4Canada373,5002.9% 5United Kingdom297,0002.3% 6Russia228,0001.7% 7Argentina184,5001.4% 8Germany118,0000.9% 9Australia103,0000.8% 10Brazil96,5000.7% 11Ukraine80,0000.6% 12South Africa72,0000.6% 13Hungary49,7000.4% 14Mexico39,8000.3% 15Belgium31,2000.2%

10. T HE P LACES THE R ELIGION IS P RACTICED Judaism is practiced in countries all around the world, but the majority of Jewish people dwell in Israel, United States, Russia, England, and Canada Next to none in Muslim countries

11. R ACE /C ULTURES ASSOCIATED WITH The Jewish people technically have a culture of their own Most Jewish people are Caucasian

12. B IBLIOGRAPHY Living Judaism: The Complete Guide to Jewish Belief, Tradition and Practice, Wayne Dosick, no date A history of Jews, Paul Johnson, Harper Collins, 1988 Philosophy of Judaism, Julius Guttman, translated by David Silverman, 1964 Stillman, Norman. "The Jews of Arab Lands." 1979 (Magazine) Tracy Rich. "Judaism 101." http://www.jewfaq.org/index.htm. 1995http://www.jewfaq.org/index.htm Yona Williams. "Basic Beliefs and Clothing." http://www.unexplainable.net/artman/publish/article_ 8761.shtml. 2 November 2008 http://www.unexplainable.net/artman/publish/article_ 8761.shtml “Judaism.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism. 2010http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism