Judiasm originated in Israel around 4000 years ago and is one of the oldest of the world’s four great monotheistic religions (religions with only one god). It’s also the smallest, with only around 12 million followers around the world.

There are large Jewish populations in Israel and the USA.

In Britain the main three types of Jews are:

• Orthodox (the most religiously observant)
• Reform
• Liberal

There are other subdivisions within these but this represents British Judaism in its simplest form.

Jewish people believe that there is a single God who not only created the universe, but with whom every Jew can have an individual and personal relationship.

The Hebrew leader Abraham founded Judaism around 2000 B.C. Moses is also an important figure as he gave the Jews the Torah, the most holy of sacred writings in around 1250 B.C. The Torah contains the laws of God.

Abraham is the father of the Jewish people. For Jews, Abraham is a symbol of trust and devotion to God. The story of Abraham is told in the Book of Genesis (the first book of the Hebrew and Christian Bibles) in chapters 12-25.

Moses is the leader who freed the Jews from slavery in Egypt. Moses protected the Jews from the wrath of God, and negotiated with God on their behalf.

The symbol or emblem of the Jewish people is the Magen David (Shield of David), also known as the Star of David. The Menorah is also one of the oldest symbols of the Jewish faith. It is a candelabrum with several candle holders displayed in Jewish synagogues and homes. It symbolises the burning bush as seen by Moses on Mount Sinai. The two most common menorahs have seven and nine candle holders. The term hanukiah or chanukiah refers to the nine candled holder used during the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.

The Jewish place of worship is the synagogue, where men and women usually sit separately. According to Jewish law, men and women must be separated during prayer, usually by a wall or curtain called a mechitzah or by placing women in a second floor balcony. There are two reasons for this; firstly, your mind is supposed to be concentrated on prayer and not the person praying near you. Secondly, many pagan religious ceremonies popular around the time Judaism was founded involved sexual activity and orgies, and the separation prevents or at least discourages this.

Jewish spiritual leaders are called Rabbis. Unlike leaders in other faiths, a Rabbi is not a priest and has no special religious status. In most cases Rabbis conduct worship in Hebrew, the language of ancient Israel.

The most holy Jewish books are the Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible). Others include the Talmud, the written form of Judaism’s oral tradition.

The Torah (or ‘teachings’) contain the five books revealed to Moses by God on Mount Sinai:

1. Genesis
2. Deuteronomy
3. Numbers
4. Leviticus
5. Exodus

The Torah is usually written on scrolls and stored inside the Ark, an ornamental closet found in synagogues. No-one is allowed to touch the Torah, so a special pointer called a Yad is used to follow words when reading it.

The most important day of the Jewish week is the Sabbath (Shabbat), which is a day made holy by refraining from weekday work.

The Shabbat starts at sunset on Friday and continues until sunset on Saturday. During the Shabbat, observant Jews will do nothing that might be counted as work, including driving and cooking.

At the beginning of Shabbat Jewish families share a meal. They eat speacial bread called Hallah. On the Shabbat Jews attend services at the synagogue, often led by a Rabbi.

A devout male Jew will always wear the Kippah (skull cap) on his head as a demonstration of his respect and reverance for God, and as a reminder that he is duty bound to follow the laws of God at all times and in all places.

A Tefilin is a small leather box with long handle straps attached. These boxes are worn on the left forearm and on the forehead during weekday morning prayers. Inside the boxes are passages from the scriptures. A Tefilin worn on the left arm, near to the wearer’s heart, is a reminder to keep God’s laws with all their heart. A Tefilin worn on the forehead reminds Jews to concentrate on the teachings of the Torah with their full mind.

Before beginning to worship or pray the devout Jew will often put on a Tallit, a prayer shawl. The fringes on the shawl remind them of the many commandments of the Torah.

When girls and boys reach age 12 and 13 respectively, they take part in special ceremonies to symbolise their becoming adults in the eyes of the Jewish religion.

Bar Mitzvah is for boys and means Son of the Commandments.
Bat Mitzvah is for girls and means Daughter of the Commandments.

Jews call marriage Kiddushin. This is a Hebrew word which means ‘made holy’ or ‘special.’

Couples are maried under a canopy called a Huppah (sometimes spelled Chuppah). They make a written contract or promise together called the Ketubah. The couple exchange rings as a symbol of their promises.

A glass is broken at Jewish weddings to remind the couple that sadness is always just around the corner for Jews.

A Mezuzah is found on doorposts in Jewish homes. It is a little case, containing a tiny scroll of writing in Hebrew called the Schema. The text describes how Jewish people should love God and keep to his rules.

Every time you pass through a door with a Mezuzah on it, you touch the Mezuzah ans then kiss the fingers that touched it, expressing love and respect for God and his Mitzvoth (commandments_ and reminding yourself of the Mitzvoth contained within it. It is proper to remove a Mezuzah when one moves house and in fact it is usually recommended. If it is left in place the subsequent owner may treat it with disrespect, which is a grave sin.

Kosher foods are those that conform to Jewish law. This means no mixing of dairy and meat, no pork or pork products and no shell fish. As Kosher regulations do not permit mixing milk dishes with meat dishes kosher kitchens have two sets of everything – sinks, cutlery, crockery – to keep them from mixing. Dishwashers are a Kashrut (Jewish dietary law) problem. If a dishwasher is going to be used for both meat and dairy in a kosher home, there must either be separate dish racks or the dishwasher must be run in between meat and dairy loads.

Meat
The animal from which the meat is taken must have been slaughtered in accordance with prescribed Jewish ritual. Jews can only eat meat from an animal which both chews its cud (food brought up into the mouth by an animal from its stomach to be chewed again) and has a split hoof, so Jews are forbidden from eating meat from animals such as such as rabbits, hares, pigs or horses.

Fish
Jews may eat fish that have both fins and scales that are detachable from the skin.

Grape Products
The restrictions on grape products derive from laws against using products of idolatry. Wine was commonly used in the rituals of all ancient religions, and was also sanctified for pagan purposes while it was being processed. For this reason, use of wines and other grape products made by non-Jews is prohibited.

Fruits and Vegetables
All fruits and vegetables are kosher. However, bugs and worms that may be found in some fruits and vegetables are not. Leafy vegetables like lettuce and herbs and flowery vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower are particulalry prone to bugs and should be inspected carefully.

In Judaism unless you are close relatives or married, touching another person is not advised. The expression of affection in this way is seen as extremely powerful and care should be exercised with its use.

The rule of Tzniut is a term within Judaism to describe issues around humility and modesty. Humility is a paramount ideal within Judaism. Moses is referred to as “exceedingly humble, more than any man in the world” and the Talmund states that humility is one of the characteristic traits of the Jewish people. This rule is frequently applied to the rules for dress and behaviour, especially for women.

In Orthodox Judaism both men and women are expected to substantially cover their bodies. In Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) communities men are generally required to wear long trousers and long sleeved shirts, and women to wear blouses with sleeves below the elbow and skirts that cover the knees. Some women try not to follow fashion trends, while others adopt fashionable but modest clothing.

In Modern Orthodox communities it is generally acceptable for women to wear sleeves reaching the elbows and shirts which cover the collarbone. Skirts must cover the knees and trousers are not worn in the presence of men.

Haredi women avoid overly eye-catching colours, especially bright red. Dress in the synagogue, and according to many in public, should be comparable to that worn be the community when meeting royalty or government.

In Conservative Judaism modest dress is required in formal situations, although tis requirement is often unobserved on a day to day basis, but it somewhat more observed with respect to synagogue attendance. While day to day dress often simply reflects the genral society, many Conservative synagogues expect more modest dress.