1. Gentry & Natalie

2. • Started with Abraham (considered to be the father of
Judaism) who believed in one supreme being
 his name was changed from Abram to Abraham after
God promised him that he would be the father of
many nations
• This idea of believing in one supreme being was passed
on to Abraham’s son Isaac
• Passed from Isaac to his son Jacob (whose name was
changed to Israel)
• Then was passed from Jacob to his twelve sons who
founded the twelve tribes of Israel
Gentlie

3. • Who is man?
 Man is created in the image of God
• Why is man here?
 To keep the Torah and God’s commandments (the
mitzvot)
 To glorify God
• Where is man going?
 Judaism doesn’t say anything specific about a certain place
(like heaven) but it does teach about an afterlife
 Olam Ha-Ba: The World to Come
 Because there is not much in the Torah that talks about an
afterlife, there is room left for personal opinion
 Temporary punishment after death is within traditional
belief
Gentlie

4.  After someone dies, a Shomerim (or guard) stays with the body
from the time of death until the funeral and burial
 Cremation and organ removal is prohibited unless needed for an
autopsy or organ donation
 Open caskets are also not allowed
 Bodies are buried in a linen shroud so that the poor do not receive
less honor than the rich
Natatree

5.  The Torah
 Considered to be the Old Testament in the Christian Bible
 Can also be used in the context of only being the five books of
Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy)
 Also referred to as the Tanakh
 Is basically consisted of the laws that Jews should abide by
Gentlie

6.  The Western Wall
 The Temple Mount
 Jerusalem (considered the Holy City)
Natatree

7.  Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)
 Consists of fasting, depriving oneself of pleasures, and
repenting of ones sins from the past year
 Rosh Hashanah
 First of the year (Jewish New Year)
 Passover
 Celebration of the Exodus from Egypt
 Marks the beginning of the harvest season
 Hanukkah
 Rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem following
the Jewish victory over the Greeks in 165 B.C.
 Celebrated over eight days
Gentlie

8.  Lunar calendar
 Each month begins on the new moon
 Months are about twenty-nine days so a year is
about 350 days
 Causes agricultural problems
 Solved by adding a month to seven out of nineteen
years
 Allows holidays to be celebrated in the same season
Natatree

9.  The Jewish church is called the synagogue, shul, or
temple
 Everyone is to go on Shabbos (Saturday)
 Women can go to the synagogue whenever they
want
 Men are advised to attend the synagogue three
times a day and are to pray with a minyan (which
is a quorum of ten adult males)
Gentlie

10.  Jews declared independence in 1948 and the
United Nations set the boundaries of Israel
 The next day, the neighboring Arab Muslim states
declared war
 Thereafter, Jerusalem was divided between Israel
and Jordan
 Western Jerusalem became part of Israel
 Palestinians were also a conflict with Israel
 Egypt and Jordan renounced the Gaza Strip and
West Bank
Natatree

11.  Ultimate obstacle to peace in Middle East is the
status of Jerusalem
 If one religion maintains exclusive political control
over Jerusalem then the other religious groups will
not be satisfied
 Israelis have no intentions of giving up control
of the Old City and Palestinians have no
intention of giving up their claim to it
Natatree

12.  One of the greatest tragedies for Jews was during
World War II (1939-1945)
 Jews were required to wear the Star of David on
their clothes so they would be set apart from
everyone else
 Jews hid from Nazis and lived in fear of being
found and taken away
 Countless Jews were brought to concentration
camps which is where most of them died
 During World War II, Hitler persecuted thousands
of Jews in Europe (specifically Germany) and was
responsible for the death of millions of them
Gentlie

13.  http://www.religionfacts.com/judaism/beliefs/human.htm
 http://www.jewfaq.org/origins.htm
 http://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/jerusalem-temple-mount
 http://judaism101.com
 http://www.religionfacts.com/judaism/practices/worship_prayer.htm
 An Introduction to Human Geography by James M. Rubenstein