The document outlines 7 common characteristics of Judaism: 1. Stories of origin and important people like Abraham the patriarch. 2. Core beliefs like monotheism and keeping kosher. 3. Holy writings like the Torah kept in an Ark. 4. Symbols and objects such as the Star of David, shofar, and mezuzah. 5. Holy places of worship like synagogues where people pray and celebrate life events. 6. Rituals and rites of passage including bar and bat mitzvahs at ages 13 and 12. 7. Celebrations and holidays honoring events from Hanukkah to Passover.

1. 7 Common Characteristics Stories of Origin(Unifying Stories)& Important People Core Beliefs Holy Writings Symbols & Objects Holy Places & Places of Worship Rituals/ Rites of Passage Celebrations & Holidays. By Christopher Cellucci Wailing Wall Star of David Menorah

2. Stories and Origins(Unifying stories) & Important People A Jewish Unifying story is the story of Abraham the patriarch. Most people have not experienced the event of a Unifying story. Abraham the patriarch is a Unifying story because a Unifying story of an experience that brings people together. Book of Abraham’s Journey Book about Abraham Abraham the patriarch

3. Core Beliefs A topic that is Core Beliefs is Monotheism and polytheism. Monotheism is when people get information from just one god. Polytheism is when people get information from more than one god. Another Core belief is Keeping Kosher. Man praying Common Kosher Symbol Registered Kosher Symbols

4. Holy Writing A topic that is Holy Writing is the Torah. The Torah is one of the Five Common Characteristics. A Torah is kept inside an Ark. The Torah has Sacred Writings in it. Torah Mezuzah Ten Commandments

5. Symbols & Objects Some Symbols and Objects are Star of David, Shofar and Mezuzah. The Star of David was named after King David who had a shield with a star on it. A Shofar was made to wake people up so they could be reminded of their responsibility. A Mezuzah carries a small piece of scroll about the first two paragraphs of the Shema. Star of David Mezuzah Shofar

6. Holy Places and Places of Worship A Synagogue is a Holy Place and a place of Worship. It is a place where Jewish people Get married and pray. Yad (Jewish Ritual Pointer) Synagogue Torah

7. Rituals/Rights of Passage Kippah Tefillin A Right of Passage means a step of accomplishment in life. A Jewish right of passage is a mitzvah because it is a celebration of getting older. For boys, the Bar Mitzvah occurs at age thirteen. For girls, the Bat Mitzvah occurs at age twelve. Tallit

8. Celebrations and Holidays Menorah Dreidel Holidays in Judaism are Hanukkah, Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah, Purim and Pass Over. People celebrate Rosh Hashanah because it was the day Humans were created. Yom Kippur is celebrated to make up for sins. Hanukkah is celebrated because the Jews survived the Greeks. Purim is celebrated because of victory over oppression. Jews celebrate Passover because of 8 day observance commemorating freedom. Latkes