Around 2,000 years ago a non-Jew told Hillel, a famous Jewish teacher, that he would convert to Judaism if Hillel could teach him the whole of the Torah in the time he could balance on one leg.

Hillel replied… "What is hateful to yourself, do not do to your neighbour. That is the whole Torah; the rest is just commentary. Go and study it."

The Bare Essentials of Judaism

• 3500 years old
  
• Began in the Middle East
  
• Founded by Abraham and Moses
  
• Parent faith of Christianity
  
• Jews believe that there is only one God
  
• Jews believe that the Jewish People are specially chosen by God
  
• Jews worship in Synagogues, their spiritual leaders are called Rabbis
  
• The Jewish Holy book is the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, especially the first 5 books, called The Torah
  
• 12 million followers, most in Israel and the USA
  
• 6 million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust in an attempt to wipe out Judaism

Beliefs…

The Relationship with God
Jews believe that there is a single God who not only created the universe, but with whom every Jew can have an individual and personal relationship.

They believe that God continues to work in the world, affecting everything that people do.

The Jewish relationship with God is a "covenant" relationship.

• In exchange for the many good deeds that God has done and continues to do for the Jewish People...
  
• The Jews keep God’s laws
  
• The Jews seek to bring holiness into every aspect of their lives.

Judaism is the Faith of a Community
Jews believe that God appointed the Jews to be his chosen people in order to set an example of holiness and ethical behaviour to the world.

Jewish life is very much the life of a community and there are many activities that Jews must do as a community.

• For example, the Jewish prayer book uses WE and OUR in prayers where some other faiths would use I and MINE.

Jews also feel part of a global community with a close bond Jewish people all over the world. A lot of Jewish religious life is based around the home and family activities.

Judaism is a Family Faith
Judaism is very much a family faith and the ceremonies start early, when a Jewish boy baby is circumcised at eight days old, following the instructions that God gave to Abraham around 4,000 years ago.

Many Jewish religious customs revolve around the home. One example is the Sabbath meal, when families join together to welcome in the special day.

Who is a Jew?
Jews believe that a Jew is someone who is the child of a Jewish mother, and who has not adopted another faith.

Someone who isn’t born a Jew can convert to Judaism, but it is not easy to do so.