Download Judaism Notes

Judaism
Symbol
Demographics
Judaism
• The smallest of the 5 major world religions:
20 million followers
• That’s less than 1 % (0.03%) of the world’s
population
<1% (mathematically)
Question #4
Judaism
• Mostly located in the Middle East
• Israel is a Jewish country in the Middle East
– Located along the Mediterranean Sea in between
Egypt and Mesopotamia
Flag of Israel
Question #5
Judaism throughout the World
• Most Jews live in Israel (about 8 million)
• About 6 million Jews live in the United States
• Several million Jews live in Europe
– France, Poland, Germany, Denmark, Austria
Question #6 & #7
Judaism
• This is the world’s first monotheistic religion
– Founded in 535 BCE
• Based on the teachings of The Torah
– The Holy Book
• Abraham is considered to be “the father” of
Judaism
Question #8
Main Beliefs
• Created by Abraham. Abraham had two sons:
– Isaac and Ishmael
• The Hebrew people fled to Egypt because of a
drought, but the pharaoh took them as slaves
• Moses led the Hebrew people across the Red
Sea back to Israel to escape slavery
– They wandered the desert for 40 years in search of
Israel
• Believe that God revealed his laws and
commandments to Moses on Mt. Sinai
Question #9
Monotheism
• At the time, other religions focused on the
belief of many gods
• Judaism was the first major religion to follow
monotheism:
– the belief in one all-powerful god
Question #10
Similarities between
Christianity and Judaism
• Jewish people believe that the Ten
Commandments are the laws that God put
forth to live by
• Later, Christianity would develop many of the
same beliefs as Judaism
– Jesus Christ was Jewish
Question #11 & #12
Judaism
• Jews believe that the Messiah has not yet come
to earth and that God will soon send them one
• Jerusalem is a holy city
• Jews worship in a synagogue
• Rabbis are spiritual leaders
Modern-Day Israel
• Today, there is violence between the
Jewish people and Palestinian people
– 75% Jewish People
– 25% Palestinian
• After World War II, a treaty was signed
to make a new Jewish nation
– Israel was created from Palestinian land
• Parts of Israel have been given to the
Palestinian people
– Golan Heights
– West Bank
– Gaza Strip
Question #13
Jerusalem
• A sacred city to 3 different religions
– Christianity
– Islam
– Judaism
• Both Israelis and Palestinians claim
Israel
– This is an on-going issue in the IsraeliPalestinian conflict
• Promises- A documentary that shows
the conflict through eyes of the
children
Judaism
Possible extra credit questions:
• What does the “Star of David” symbolize?
• What are the different branches of Judaism?
• Who are some famous Jewish people in the
world?
• What is the largest Jewish Synagogue in the
United States?