Download Introduction to Judaism PPT - Nebraska Holocaust Education

UNDERSTANDING JUDAISM:
an introduction to Judaism, Jewish culture,
and the Jewish community
OVERVIEW OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY
 Approximately 14 million Jews world-wide
(<0.2% of the world population, about 2% of US population)
 In Nebraska, approximately 6,000 Jews
 The Jewish community is ethnically, linguistically and
religiously diverse
JUDAISM
One of the oldest world religions
First major religion to state that there is one God
Begun by Abraham, considered the father of the
Jewish people
The Jewish Bible is called the Tanakh or Hebrew
Scriptures
The Tanakh is made up of three parts:
 Torah (Five Books of Moses)
 Prophets
 Writings
JUDAISM, cont.
Judaism has changed and evolved through its 3,000
years of existence.
Today, there are 4 major branches or movements within
Judaism:
 Orthodox Judaism
 Conservative Judaism
 Reform Judaism
 Reconstructionist Judaism
CENTRAL ASPECTS OF JUDAISM
God
Torah
Israel (both the people Israel and the land of Israel)
NOTE:
Many Jews affiliate with a particular branch of
Judaism, but some Jews simply identify themselves
as “Jewish” or only identify culturally, rather than
religiously, with being Jewish.
Even within each major branch of Judaism, there
is a variety in emphasis and practice depending
on the local context and culture, and individual
choice.
IN A NUTSHELL:
• One God – all powerful, all knowing
• God created the universe and everything in it
• God has definite expectations for all human beings, and
especially Jews
How do we know?  The Bible
(either written by God or divinely inspired)
RULES FOR RELATIONSHIPS
Relationship between Humans and God
Examples - rest on Sabbath, observing holidays, rules of kashrut (kosher)
Relationship among Humans
Examples - social justice (giving charity, caring for widows and orphans, the
poor), visiting the sick, comforting mourners, rejoicing with brides and
grooms on their wedding day
Relationships between Humans and Nature
Examples - respect for animals, awe for natural wonders, imperative to plant
trees, special relationship to the land of Israel
MORE “BIG PICTURE” IDEAS
• Judaism is focused on life and living. Jews traditionally believe that
if they follow God’s ways they will be blessed in this lifetime
(health, happiness, prosperity, fertility) and if they do not follow
God’s commands they will be cursed in this lifetime (sickness,
poverty)
• Judaism believes in an afterlife, but does not dwell on it.
• Each person is obligated to look at the world around them and
find a way to make it better.
Any questions before
we move on?
SYNAGOGUE
 Jewish place of worship
 Communal institution of Jewish life
 Space where many public activities and life cycle events of Jewish life
take place
 Rabbi: trained scholar in Judaica, teacher of Jewish texts and traditions.
Rabbis often lead prayer services, though any learned Jew can lead the
service.
 Cantor/Hazzan: specially trained singer who chants the worship service and
leads the musical and vocal parts of the prayers.
WORSHIP
“Uniform” of Jewish prayer:
 Kippah or yarmalka: head-covering
(Some Jews wear these all the time)
 Talit: prayer shawl
 Tefillin: phylacteries
(worn in morning prayers, not used during holidays)
WORSHIP, cont.
 Judaism is a communal religion. A minyan (quorum of ten
adults/men) is required to recite certain prayers.
 Observant Jews pray three times a day.
 Most prayers are recited in Hebrew, although in Reform
synagogues, many of the prayers are in English.
KASHRUT (JEWISH DIETARY LAWS)
 Part of the 613 commandments in the Torah
 Dictate the slaughter of animals, preparation of food,
and prohibit certain foods
 Jews follow these laws to differing degrees depending
on their level of observance
 Kosher food is often marked with one of the following
symbols:
MAJOR ASPECTS OF KEEPING KOSHER
INCLUDE:
 Separation of meat/poultry from dairy products (when eating,
as well as dishes, utensils, etc.)
 No pork or shellfish (including by-products, such as lard)
 Only meat/poultry that is slaughtered and prepared
according to Jewish law
Note: The best way to accommodate Jewish dietary needs is to
buy packages goods marked kosher, or mark foods containing
meat or dairy, or provide fresh vegetables or fruit (as they are
always kosher).
THE JEWISH CALENDAR
The Jewish (Hebrew) calendar is a luni-solar calendar.
 7 days per week
 12 months per year (13 in a leap year)
 29 or 30 days per month
 354 days per year (384 in a leap year)
Jewish days start at sunset and end at sunset, 24 hours later.
Because of this - Jewish holidays begin at sunset.
Currently the year 5774 in the Hebrew calendar.
Use divisions of: B.C.E.= Before Common Era or C.E.= Common Era
when referring to the Gregorian year.
JEWISH HOLIDAYS
Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath, is the most important
of all holidays.
Five major holidays:
Rosh HaShanah (Jewish New Year)
Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)
Sukkot (Festival of Booths)
Pesach (Passover)
Shavuot (Festival of Weeks)
SHABBAT
At sunset on Friday night, Jews may welcome the
Sabbath by:
Lighting special candles and saying a prayer
Saying a prayer over a cup of wine or grape juice
Saying a prayer and eating a braided bread called challah
Attending Shabbat services at the synagogue
These rituals are also used to begin all other major Jewish holidays.
SHABBAT, cont.
 Begins every Friday at sunset and lasts until sunset on
Saturday
 Day of rest, reflection and rejuvenation
 Many Jews attend synagogue services and the Torah is read
 Labor and work are prohibited
ROSH HASHANAH






The Jewish new year
Falls sometime in September or October
Two day holiday
Begins a solemn 10-day season of self-examination
and self-judgment in the life of a Jew
Jewish people attend synagogue at special services
where the shofar (ram’s horn) is sounded.
Traditional to eat challah that has been formed into a
circle to symbolize a full year. Also traditional to eat
apples or challah dipped in honey to symbolize the
hope for a sweet year.
YOM KIPPUR






Day of Atonement
Ends the 10 days of repentance that began with Rosh
HaShanah
Jewish people attend synagogue to pray for forgiveness
from God and from anyone they have wronged
Jews must also ask for forgiveness directly from the people
they may have wronged
Jews fast during this solemn holiday and usually mark the
end of the fast and holiday with a celebratory meal
Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur are known as the “High
Holy Days”
OTHER HOLIDAYS
Sukkot (Festival of Booths – eight days)
• Recalls the Jews’ journey through the desert after being freed from Egyptian
slavery, Jews build a sukkah (temporary booth) in which to dwell during the
holiday
Pesach (Passover)
• Commemorates the Exodus of the Jews from Egyptian slavery into Israel
Shavuot (Festival of Weeks or Pentecost)
• Shavuot celebrates the receiving of the Torah and the late spring/early summer
harvest
OTHER FESTIVALS OR COMMEMORATIONS

Hanukah (Festival of Lights, in December)

Tu B’Shevat (Jewish Arbor Day, late January or early February)

Purim (Festival of Lots, late February or early March)

Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day, late April or May)

Yom HaZikaron (Israeli Memorial Day, late April or May)

Yom HaAtzmaut (Israeli Independence Day, late April or May)

Tishah B’Av (Commemoration of the Destruction of the Temple,
mid-July to early August)
JEWISH LIFE CYCLE EVENTS

Brit Milah (Circumsion)

Bar/Bat Mitzvah

Marriage

Death

Commemorating the anniversary of a loved one’s death
BAR OR BAT MITZVAH
Bar Mitzvah for a boy, Bat Mitzvah for a girl
Rite of passage that Jewish boys and girls
perform on their twelfth or thirteenth
birthday to mark their transition into
adulthood
Usually involves leading a Shabbat prayer
service and reading from the Torah
FEATURES OF A JEWISH HOME
 Mezuzah: a decorative container holding parchment
inscribed with a passage from the Torah that is affixed at an
angle to the right doorpost of a Jewish home. A mezuzah
may also be placed on any doorpost in the home except the
bathroom.
 Tzedakah box: A collection box in Jewish homes that serves as
a constant reminder of the need and responsibility to give to
charity.
ISSUES OF CONCERN FOR THE JEWISH
COMMUNITY
Antisemitism
The Holocaust
Israel
ANTISEMITISM

Prejudice and/or discrimination against Jews

Stereotypes of Jews are still prevalent and need to be
addressed

Can be based on hatred against Jews because of their
religious beliefs, their membership (ethnicity) and
sometimes on the erroneous belief that Jews are a “race”
THE HOLOCAUST

Also known as the “Shoah”

Systematic, state-sponsored murder of 6 million Jews and millions
of other people by the Nazis and their collaborators during World
War II

Watershed event in Jewish history

Important to be sensitive to the fact that members of the Jewish
community may have had relatives who perished in or survived
the Holocaust

Some people try to claim the Holocaust never happened, they are
called “Holocaust-deniers”
ISRAEL

Central to Judaism and Jewish culture for as long
as Judaism has existed

Israeli-Palestinian conflict primarily a political,
not religious, conflict

Important to consider your sources to get
accurate and balanced information when
learning about Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict