The document provides an overview of key aspects of Judaism, including its origins with Abraham and Moses receiving the Ten Commandments, core beliefs in one God and following mitzvot or commandments, important writings like the Torah, symbols, holy places in Jerusalem, rites of passage marking life events, and celebrations of holidays throughout the year including Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah, and Hanukkah.

1. JUDAISM Alex Glowacky

2. Stories of Origin & Important PeopleThe 10 commandmentsAbraham seeing God as lightThe prophet MosesIt is said that Abraham is the father of the Jewish people.One day, God appeared to him. They made a promise…Abrahamwould be the start of many nationsas long as he was loyal to God. Fromthat day, Abraham in a way became the founder of Judaism. The Ten Commandments arethe founding laws/rules ofJudaism. These statementswere given to the Jewish people through a prophet,Moses.Moses was a prophet leading Jews out of Egypt, across the Red Sea, where they stopped at the base of Mt. Sinai. One day, he was walking when God approached him as a burning bush. At this time, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, which would later become the laws of Judaism.

3. Core BeliefsONE GOD & MITZVOTThe base belief that Judaism is based on isthat there is one god; monotheism. All Jewsmay have a different idea of what God lookslike, but the fact that God is one is the bigidea. One other main belief is that Jews follow a certain amount of rules; commandments. It doesn’t matter how manyMitzvot a Jew follows: that all depends on howreligious they are. Some of the Mitzvot have todo with keeping Kosher or keeping the Sabbath. A necklace referring to oneGodA close up of God fromthe bottom left imageHow many Mitzvot there areOne idea of what God looks like

4. Holy WritingsThe TorahThe Torah is the most holy piece of writingin Judaism. It contains the 5 books of Moses;Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah is also the Jewish Bible, which is also the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament in the Christian Bible. This is what a Torahlooks like dressed upin the Holy Ark beforeit is taken out to be readThis is what the Torah looks like undressed and rolled out to be readThis is a Yad.When readingthe Torah, theRabbi and/or Cantor will use it to point so that no grease gets onthe old parchment that the Torah iswritten on This is a boy at hisBar Mitzvah reading from the Torah

5. Symbols & ObjectsThe Star of David, a six- pointed star, is a fairly new but common Jewishsymbol. It’s named afterKing David, who, accordingto legend, had a shield withthis sign on it. This symbol,also known as a Magen David, has become popularin the last 200 years. The shofar (ram’s horn) represents God’s promise with Abraham. Abraham would do anything for God, even kill his only son. Isaac was too close to being dead, when an angel stopped Abraham, who turned around and killed a ram with it’s horn stuck in a tree instead. The Ner Tamid, or EternalLight, symbolizes God’s eternal presence aroundus everywhere. Therefore, this light is never extinguished. The Star of DavidA ram’s hornThe Ner Tamid in one temple

6. Holy Places & Places of WorshipJerusalemFor Jews, Jerusalem is the most important city in the world. In it is the Western Wall , the most holy place in Judaism.This is the Western Wall. It is rightnear the Dome of the Rock and is the only part of the temple still remaining. Visitors can see, touch andplace things in the wall. This is a model of the Temple of Jerusalem.This temple was destroyed in a fire startedby Romans and hasn’t been rebuilt.There are temples all over the world. This one is in Wellesley!

7. Rituals/Rites of PassageAnother StepEach of these images showsa common Rite of Passagefor a Jewish person. A Bar/BatMitzvah marks the point in timewhen a kid comes to an age where they make their own choices about religion and are thought of as an adult. Weddingsare also a big part of Judaism. Couples get married under a canopy called a chupah that symbolizes the house they will make together. Death is another step in life. Jewish people are usually buried in wooden caskets as soon as possible after their death.Bar & BatMitzvahsA Jewish weddingA Bar MitzvahA Bat MitzvahA wooden casket

8. Celebrations & HolidaysA menorah ForHanukkahA fake sign about YomKippurA man blowing the ShofarYom KippurRosh HashanahHanukkahYom Kippur is probably theMost important holiday. DuringThis time, many Jews fast. In English, Yom Kippur means ‘DayOf Atonement’. It is a day set Aside to “afflict the soul,” to atone for the sins of the past year. Rosh Hashanah is also knownAs the Jewish New Year. On thisDay, a ram’s horn (or shofar) isBlown in a Synagogue unless The holiday falls on Shabbat.Hanukkah is a holidaycelebrated for eight days and nights. A menorah is a common symbol of Hanukkah. In Hebrew, the wordHanukkah meansdedication.

9. Thank You For learning aboutJUDAISM