Judaism originated from the story of Abraham, who was considered the first Jew and made a covenant with God. An important figure was Moses, who led the Israelites out of Egypt and received the Ten Commandments from God atop Mount Sinai. Core beliefs of Judaism include monotheism and following the mitzvot or commandments. Holy writings like the Torah contain the first five books of the Bible. Important symbols are the Star of David and menorah. Holy places include the Western Wall and Temple in Jerusalem. Jews celebrate holidays like Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Hanukkah and hold rites of passage like bar/bat mitzvahs and weddings under

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 Egyptians across the Red Sea,where they stopped at the baseof 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 the Jews.

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 different image of what God looks likeHow 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 & ObjectsIn a way, the Star of Davidbecame known when duringWWII, Hitler forced Jewsto wear this symbol of a star.Since then, the sign has become a symbol of unity.The star is now on theIsraeli flag. Another idea ofhow the symbol started was that the star was on David’sshield when he fought King Nimrod, and won. The ram’s horn represents God’s promise with Abraham.Abraham would do anythingfor God, even kill his only son.Isaac was too close to being dead, when an angel stoppedAbraham, who turned aroundand killed a ram with it’s hornstuck in a tree instead. The Ner Tamid, or EternalLight, symbolizes God’s eternal presence aroundus everywhere. Therefore, this light is never extinguished. The Eternal flame also meant torepresent the menorah at theTemple in Jerusalem.The Star of DavidA ram’s hornThe Ner Tamid

6. Holy Places & Places of WorshipJerusalemFor Jews, Jerusalem is the most important city in the world. In it is the Western Wall and the mainJewish temple, which are two of the most holy Places in Jewish history.This is the Western Wall. It is rightnear the Temple of Jerusalem and is the only part of the old temple still remaining. Visitors can see, touch andplace things in the wall. There are temples all over the world. This one is in Wellesley!This is the Temple of Jerusalem today. The temple was rebuilt after Romanscaught the original on fire.

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 & BatMitzvahsWeddingsDeath

8. Celebrations & HolidaysRosh HashanahYom KippurHanukkahRosh 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.Yom 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. Hanukkah is a holidaycelebrated for eight days and nights. In Hebrew, the wordHanukkah meansDedication. A menorahIs a common symbol of Hanukkah.

9. Thank You For learning aboutJUDAISM