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Judaism
Judaism is the oldest religion of the western
world and has influenced Christianity and
Islam. There are approximately fifteen
million Jews throughout the world.
The Hebrews were the ancestors of the Jewish people and trace their ancestry to Abraham, who left his home in
the Mesopotamian city of Ur about 2200 BC. The Hebrews were different from the others of their time because
they were monotheistic; believing in only one God. The Hebrews believed they had a special relationship with their
God and that they were his chosen people.
The Hebrews established a nation they called Israel on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. About 1300
BC, many Hebrews moved to Egypt to escape famine. A famine is a great hunger. At first, the Hebrews were
treated well in Egypt, but in time they were enslaved by the Egyptians. According to Hebrew tradition, God sent
ten deadly plagues to Egypt when the Egyptians would not release the Hebrew slaves. When the Hebrew did
escape, tradition states that Moses, the leader of the Hebrews, parted the Red Sea for just enough time to allow
the Hebrews to pass. After their escape in 1250 BC, God revealed the Ten Commandments to Moses. These
Commandments formed the basis of Mosaic Law and are the model for both Jewish and Christian moral thought.
The Hebrews returned to Israel, but were conquered by several other cultures. In time, most of the Hebrews were
forced to leave Israel, beginning a period known as the Diaspora. The Hebrews were forced to live as minorities in
many different lands until the creation of the Jewish nation of Israel in 1948.
Jewish people have often faced severe mistreatment. European Jews were ordered to leave Spain by Ferdinand
and Isabella and faced organized massacres called pogroms in many nations, particularly in Eastern Europe. In the
mid 1900s, as many as six million Jews were murdered in what we now call the Holocaust, where the Nazi party in
Germany attempted genocide, or the planned killing of a whole group of people because of their religion or
nationality.
Jews worship in synagogues led by a rabbi. Rabbi is a Hebrew word that means ‘master’. Their holiest period is the
weekly Shabbat, which lasts from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday. Other important Jewish holidays include Rosh
Hashanah (the Hewish New Year), Yom Kippur (a Day of Atonement or confession), Simchat Torah (celebrating
receiving the Torah on Mount Sinai) and Passover (a remembrance of the time the Hebrews escaped Egypt).
The Torah is the most holy book of Judaism. The Torah is also holy to Christians, who include it in the Old
Testament of their Bible. The Talmud is another holy book in Judaism. The Talmud is a collection of the laws and
customs of the Jewish people. Most Jews live in the United States (5.8 million) and Israel (4.8 million). Europe was
once home to millions of Jewish people, but most of the survivors of the Holocaust immigrated to other nations.
Today only 2.3 million Jews remain in Europe.
The six pointed Star of David is the most recognized symbol of Judaism. Legend says that a Hebrew king named
David went into battle with this hexagram on his shield. Today, you can see the hexagram used to identify
synagogues and Jewish organizations. It is also now flown on the flag of Judaism’s homeland, Israel.
Fill in the Blanks
Name: ______________________________
The beliefs of Christianity and I__________ are tooted in J_____________, the O________
religion of the western world. The J____ are the descendants of the H_______________. The
Hebrews trace their a_______________ to A_____________, who left his home in U__. The
modern nation of I_______ about ________ years ago. The Hebrews believed in one God, so
they were m____________________. The H__________ believed they had a special
r__________________ with their God, and that they were his c____________ people.
The H____________ left their home in I_______ to escape a f________. M______ led them
back home. Moses is often called the ‘law-giver’ because both J_____ and C________________
believe God revealed Ten C__________________ to M______ about ________ years ago. The
T____ Commandments are the m_________ for both J_________ and Christian m_________
thought.
The H___________ were eventually conquered by others, and most Hebrews were forced to
leave I_________. Since then, Jews have lived as m______________ in many countries, but
they remained united through the T_r_h, the written law of the Jewish faithful.
Jews have been persecuted many times in their history. F_____________ and Isabella forced
the Jews to leave S_____ at the end of the fifteenth c_____________. Jews also faced
organized massacres, or p__________, particularly in E___________. In the 1900s, the N_____
party of G_____________ attempted g______________ by killing as many as six million J_____
in the H_______________.
Jews worship in s________________ led by a r_________, or ‘m__________’. Their h_______
period lasts from s____________ Friday to sunset S______________. The Jewish holidays
include their New Year, R______ H_____________; Yom Kippur, the D___ of A_____________,
and P__________________, an observance of the time the J_____ escaped out of E_________.
The United S________ is home to about ______ percent of the world’s J_____. Another thirty
percent live in I_________. Europe was once home to m_______________ of Jews, but most of
the s________________ of the Holocaust i____________________ to other nations.
Answer in Complete Sentences
Name: ___________________________
1. What is the oldest religion of the western world? About how old is this faith?
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2. Who were the Hebrews? How was the religious faith of the Hebrews different than most other
people in ancient history?
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3. What is the difference between the Talmud and the Torah?
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4. What was the Diaspora?
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5. What was the Holocaust?
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6. Explain the significance of two Jewish holidays.
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7. What does ‘rabbi’ mean?
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8. How is the Star of David used today?
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