Judaism
By Steve Eleshaky
And
Zack George
Founder of the Judaist Religion
• Abraham- Started the movement of Judaism over polytheistic
paganism. He gave birth to Isaac, ancestor of Jews, and Ishmael,
ancestor of Arabs. Founder of the First Covenant with God
Other important Figures in Judaism
• Isaac- Son of Abraham, part of the final trial Abraham thought
God made him go through to prove his faith. Fathered Jacob and
Esau
• Jacob- Wrestled an Angel and earned the name “Israel”, he then
fathered the 12 children of Israel which were the founders of the
different tribes in Israel.
• Moses- After many generations the Jews eventually became
slaves in Egypt and suffered greatly, they were able to escape
under Moses, founder of the Second Covenant, and went to the
Mt Sinai to receive the 10 commandments from God in order to
inherit Israel, creating the 2nd covenant.
Historical context
• The Old Testament is some of the few written accounts from its time
period. The writings are generally based on historical forces but
described with religious mythology. The Old Testament is much
more of a history book than the New Testament.
Symbols
Star of David
Ten Commandments
Menorah
Deities Name’s
• Abrahamic Judaism referred to God in forms of El, relating to the
Patron god of the nearby Pagan religion
• Now it’s God, or G-d for strict Jews in fear of tarnishing his name
Location of Origin
• Known as Biblical Canaan, or modern day Levant, which corresponds
to Israel, Palestinian territories, Lebanon, and the western parts of
Jordan and Syria
Major Locations Today
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4.95 m Jews in Israel
6.5 m in North America
1.6 in Europe
Tel Aviv has 2.5 m
NYC 1.9 m
Haifa with 655 k
LA with 621 k
Jerusalem with 520 k
Number of Followers
13.3 Million
How/Why did the religion Spread
• Judaism spread with the Jewish people through both
migrations that were voluntary and forced expulsions. The
religion spread mostly with the Jewish Diaspora, “Scattering”
when Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylonia, forcefully deported
the Jewish people. This caused them to migrate to areas in
the Middle East, Judea, and Egypt.
Holy Books, and other important Texts
• The Jewish people had a sacred book called the Torah. The
Torah embodied all the Jewish teaching and laws and is
referred to as the Jewish bible. Torah can also refer to another
set of sacred books, the five books of Moses, which include
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.
Judaism also contained Midrashim, which were stories that
elaborated on incidents in the Jewish bible to emphasize a
certain moral or law.
Places of Worship
• The Jewish people’s place of worship included Synagogues,
Shuls, and temples.
• It is a place for prayer, and community prayer services.
Roles of men and women
• Surprisingly, the role of men and women were seen as equal,
women even sometimes had higher roles than men.
• Women were believed to have, “binah” which was a better
intuition, intelligence, and understanding.
• Men still were encouraged to pursue higher careers and
further their education, unlike women, who were still seen as
the wives and care takers.
• What’s remarkable is women had rights, such as the right to
be consulted about their own personal marriage.
Holy Sites
• The main holy site is Israel, since it was believed to be a land
promised to Abraham by G-d, a land in which his decedents
would live( the Jewish people).
• The torah also, mentions Israel, as a land flowing with milk
and honey.
Holidays
• Hanukkah-represents the defeat of the Greek-Syrian Army,
and the extended supply of oil at the temple
• Shavu’ot- signifies the giving of the torah at mount sinai , and
also represents the time when the first fruits were harvested
and brought back to the Jewish temple.
Major Beliefs
• Creation Story
• God created both the earth and the heavens, he said, “let there be
light.” and divided by the light of the world and darkness of the
world.
• God first created Adam and Lilith and then he created Eve
• End Story ‘
• The Souls of the Righteous shall go to Gan Eden, while the souls of
those who are average need purifying, and need to go to Gehenna.
• Both of these things are similar to the heaven and hell in catholic
religion.
Most Important
Commands/Laws
• The most important law/commands is the ten
commandments brought by Moses, written by the creator.
• Another important law is Kashrut, which deals with the Jewish
dietary jobs. The Kashrut indicated how to prepare food and
meals, and make them, “Kosher.”
In the teachings of Judaism, the purpose of life is to serve God, as well as keep the
Torah, and pass the tests which are given to us.
Influence on Art, Architecture
Since the Jewish people were initially a small group, they did not have a big
affect on art, or architecture, but they did contribute to it. The Jewish people
contributed to architecture with synagogues.
The Jewish did however had the affect on the foundations of the religion. Their
religion was the first monotheistic religion which believed God was greater
than nature, and that a day of judgment would occur. This is much like the
Catholic faith and Islamic faith.
Bibliography
• Work Cited
• "Diaspora." Jewish Virtual Library. Web. 18 Oct. 2012.
<www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/Diaspora.html>.
• "History of Judaism ." World Religions. Web. 18 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.religionfacts.com/judaism/history.htm>.
• "Jewish Creation Story." Innovations Learning. Web. 18 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.innovationslearning.co.uk/subjects/re/information/creation/jewish_creation.htm>.
• "SYNAGOGUE ARCHITECTURE." Jewish Encyclopedia. Web. 18 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/14161-synagogue-architecture>.
• "The Diaspora." Jewish Virtual Library. Web. 18 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/Diaspora.html>.
• "The Patriarchs and the Origins of Judaism." Judaism 101. Web. 18 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.jewfaq.org/origins.htm>.
• "Torah." Judaism 101. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. <www.jewfaq.org/torah.htm >.
• "What is Hanukkah." The Fellowship. Web. 18 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.ifcj.org/site/PageNavigator/eng/inside/hanukkah>.
• "World Jewish Population ." Judaism Online. Web. 18 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.simpletoremember.com/vitals/world-jewish-population.htm>.
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