Judaism

Origin

Judaism is one of the oldest religions that believes in a single God. Its roots lie in ancient Israel about 3,000 years ago. According to tradition it began with Abraham, and Moses led the people out of Egypt.

Beliefs and practice

The Torah and the whole Tanakh are the sacred texts. Important are the commandment to serve God, the Sabbath as a day of rest and festivals such as Passover and Yom Kippur. There are Orthodox, Conservative and Liberal movements.

Spread

After the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem (70 AD) Jews lived scattered across many countries (the Diaspora). Judaism strongly shaped Christianity and Islam. The State of Israel was founded in 1948.

Today

There are about 15 million Jews worldwide, roughly half of them in Israel and a large part in the USA.

Good to know

• Jerusalem is sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims.
• The Torah is written by hand as a scroll.
• Hebrew was revived as a spoken language.