What Do Jews Believe?

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.