Download 10 Facts about Judaism

Fact 1
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Monotheistic religion
Jewish people believe that God is all-knowing, allpowerful, just, and merciful.
Christians and Muslims are also believers in an allknowing, all-powerful, just, and merciful God.
Fact 2
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The Jewish religion teaches that people have free
will and are responsible for their choices.
The Christian and Muslim religions also teach this
Fact 3
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The Torah (Holy Book) is the primary document that
reveals God’s instructions to the Jewish people.The
Torah is the first five books of the Old Testament
from the Bible.
It has 613 Commandments of which the 10
Commandments are considered to be the most
important.
Fact 4
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Jewish people share a belief in the Old Testament
with Christians.
Jewish people are waiting for the Messiah to come
for the first time to claim the righteous.
Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God
and the Messiah who will come to earth the second
time to claim the righteous.
Jesus is an important prophet to the Jewish faith, but
not the Messiah.
Fact 5
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Jewish people recognize that Muslims and Christians
worship the same God as they do.
The Jewish religion teaches that all righteous people
go to heaven regardless of their religion.
Fact 6
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Traditional Judaism uses matrilineal descent to
determine who is Jewish.
For example: If your mother is Jewish and your
father is not, you are considered Jewish.
If your father is Jewish, but your mother is not, you
are not considered Jewish.
Depending in the type of Judaism, this rule may or
may not be recognized today.
Fact 7
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The Jewish day of rest is called Shabbat.
It is the most important ritual observance named in the
10 Commandments.
All Jewish days begin and end at sunset; therefore, the
Shabbat begins on Friday night at sundown and lasts
until Saturday at sundown.
Jewish people are not supposed to carry money or ride
in cars on Shabbat. Many people will park their cars a
few blocks from the synagogue and walk because of
the long distance they might have to drive to worship.
Fact 8
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Synagogue is a Jewish house of worship, also know
as shul or temple depending on the branch of
Judaism.
Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox are the three
main branches. Orthodox is the strictest.
Orthodox Jews separate the seating of the men
and women in the synagogue.
Magen David – Star of
David represents the shield
of King David. It is a
relatively new symbol of
Judaism.
In the 17th century, it was
used to identify synagogues.
Fact 9
In 1897 it was adopted as
the emblem of the Zionist
Movement (push for Jewish
homeland)
Today it is a symbol of the
country of Israel, and on its
flag.
Fact 10
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Israel is tied to Jewish law. Living outside of Israel
is considered an exile for the Jewish people.
In 1947 the United Nations divided Palestine into
Jewish and Arab sections. In 1948, the Jewish
people declared Israel a nation, and it was
recognized by many western nations.
One-third of the world’s Jewish population lives in
Israel.