Judaism ( יהדות )

1. Judaism(יהדות ) By: Kiara Wakefield

2. Origins • Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are known as both the spiritual and physical founders of Judaism. • Abraham was born as Abram in 1948 c.e to an idol merchant named Terach, in Ur, Babylonia. • He had always questioned his father’s faith and started to believe that the Universe had been created by a single god. He started to spread this idea to others. • This God soon made an offer to Abram, he said if Abraham would leave his home and family then, he would give a great nation and bless. Abram accepted God’s offer, thus establishing between the covenant between God and the Jewish people. • Isaac was the son of Abraham • God ordered that Abraham burn his son, Isaac as a sacrifice to God. The sacrifice was also to be a test of Isaac’s faith. • At the last moment before Isaac’s sacrifice an angel was sent by God to stop the offering. • Jacob is the son of Isaac. • Jacob constantly battle with his brother, Esau, whose birthright to spiritual leadership was sold to Jacob for a bowl of lentil soup • Rebecca fooled Isaac into giving a blessing meant for Esau to Jacob, which infuriated Esau, causing Jacob to flee the city. • Jacob fathered, 12 sons, all of which are said to be ancestors of the tribes of Israel.

3. Doctrines and Teachings • The Torah is the first five books of Moses: • Genesis (In the Beginning…) • Exodus (The Names…) • Leviticus (And He Called…) • Numbers (In the Wilderness…) • Deuteronomy (The Words…) • 13 principles of Faith: • God exists • God is one and unique • God is incorporeal • God is eternal • Prayer is to be directed to G-d alone and to no other • The words of the prophets are true • Moses' prophecies are true, and Moses was the greatest of the prophets • The Written Torah and Oral Torah were given to Moses • There will be no other Torah • God knows the thoughts and deeds of men • God will reward the good and punish the wicked • The Messiah will come • The dead will be resurrected

4. Dissemination • After the Babylonian Exile, they became more outward-looking but still very little interested in preaching their faith to others. By this time there were diaspora Jews, especially in Babylon. • The first major expansion of Judaism came during the time of the Maccabean rulers of Judah. Their territory was stretched to the north and south, giving them control of Idumea, Samaria and Galilee. • Idumeans and Galileans were forced into the Judaism belief and the Samarians were strongly influenced. • In the first c.e century, the pagans known for fearing God were worried that if they if they couldn’t find faith in any god, that god would be angered by and punish them. • When the pagans went to Jerusalem to visit the Temple, they were strongly influence into the conversion to Judaism. • Judaism spread throughout all of Israel • Hasidism was a mystical movement that emphasized the importance of communion with God in the Jewish religion. It was created in 18th century Europe. • Among the first free settlers of Australia are Jewish people. The first synagogue was built in in 1844, in Sydney.

5. Turning Points • A major turning point (for the worst) in Jewish history was the holocaust in the late 1930’s and early 40’s. • During this time period in Europe, a genocide of Jewish people was taking place. • Jews were robbed of their things, forced out of their homes, and sent to work and execution camps, as well as ghettos. • Families were torn apart and men and women were separated at camps • The Jews were forced to wear the Star of David of ragged clothes given to them and their names were replaced with numbers tattooed into their arm. • Two-thirds of the Jewish people in Europe were killed (6 million approximately) . • 1.1 million Jewish children were killed, including infants and newborns. • Many museums, novels, and movies were built, created, and publish after the holocaust ended. This all in an effort to teach future generations, allow the stories of those lost and affected to be told, and never forget.

6. Absorption • The Israeli government brought the Falash-Mura descendents of Ethiopian Jews to Israel in January, 2005. • Around 5500 Ethiopian Jews reside in absorption centers across Israel. • 5900 additional Ethiopian Jews were estimated to immigrate into Israel over the following two years • The absorption of these people address the certain problems of facing the Ethiopian Community • Benefits to this program include, the learning of the the Jewish faith and the Hebrew language, as well as teaching in health and hygiene and the rights and expectations of Israeli citizens

7. Modern Connections • Even in modern times, there is still strong anti-semitism found around the world • In Budapest, this past Tuesday an Israeli flag was burned outside a synagogue • This was done in the annual celebration of the anti-communist revolution in Hungary in 1956 • This act caused some controversy and on the following day the Israeli ambassador went on a television show to ask Hungarians to get rid of their anti-Israeli feelings • In response, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Hungary deprecate what happened, and states, “The Hungarian government is committed to fighting all forms of anti-Semitism and racism, using all necessary means against manifestations of dangerous extremism."

8. Bibliography • http://www.kh-uia.org.il/En/SupportIsrael/Immigration-Absorption/Pages/Falash-Mura.aspx • http://www.jewfaq.org • http://www.abc.net.au/religion/stories/s796551.htm • http://www.yourjewishnews.com/Pages/23469.aspx