Introduction to Judaism (AQA GCSE Religious Studies (Short Course)): Revision Note

Introduction to Judaism

• Judaism is one of the oldest religions as it is about 3,500 years old

• Judaism began as a Covenant starting with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and continuing down to Moses

• The covenant said that if the Israelites obeyed God’s law (The Torah), they would be His people:

  • Because of the covenant, Jewish people believe that they are chosen by God to spread the message of God to mankind

• Not all people who consider themselves Jewish are religious:

  • Some would describe themselves as cultural Jews (non-practising) rather than religious Jews (practising)

• There are about 17 million Jewish people in the world:

  • Most Jewish people (about 6.5 million) live in America

  • Many Jewish people (about 6 million) live in Israel

  • In the UK, there are about 300,000 Jewish people

• The main holy book is called the Torah:

  • There are 613 rules in the Torah, which they try to follow as best they can, whichever country they live in

• The main founders of the religion are Abraham and Moses

• There are different groups who all identify as Jewish but may have different beliefs and practices. These include:

  • Ultra-Orthodox

  • Hasidic

  • Orthodox

  • Reform

  • Liberal

  • Progressives

• Jewish people have been Persecuted throughout history and have experienced much Anti-Semitism:

  • Many Jews were slaughtered during the Christian Crusades

  • Jews and Muslims were persecuted and were the object of hatred in Europe in the 13th and 15th centuries

  • During World War II, around six million Jewish people were killed by the Nazis

  • The Jewish people tried to find a homeland after the awful terrors of the Holocaust; as a result, the Jewish state of Israel was founded in 1948