FAQ about Judaism

What is Judaism?
Judaism is a monotheistic religion that began in the Middle East. It is one of four religions which recognize Abraham as a Patriarch. The others are Christianity, Islam, and Baha'i World Faith.

How old is Judaism?
Around 2000 BCE, the ancient Israelites established a divine covenant with Abraham, leading to the start of the Jewish religion.

Who are the founders of Judaism?
Abraham is recognized as the first Jew. He and Moses are considered to be the founding fathers.

What is the ancient history of Judaism?
Abraham was the preacher of Judaism followed by his children and grandchildren. Judaism became a major religion until about 900 BCE when the Jewish community was split. Some Jews were exiled; others sold into slavery in Egypt. Moses led the Jews out of their Egyptian slavery to a Holy Land promised by G-d.

What are the different sects of Judaism?
There are three main branches of Judaism. They are the Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform. The Orthodox observe most of the traditional dietary and ceremonial laws of Judaism. The Conservative put an emphasis on the historic and religious aspects of Judaism, somewhere between Orthodox and Reform. They do not stress the importance of a Jewish political state. The Reform branch is the liberal wing of Judaism with little consensus on doctrinal or religious belief.

Are the Jews a Race?
Race is a genetic distinction based on DNA. Common ancestry determines DNA. Although many Jews share common ancestry, anyone may become a Jew by converting to the Jewish faith. In spite of this fact in the 1980s, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that Jews are a race for purposes of certain anti-discrimination laws.

Is Judaism a Cultural or Ethnic Group?
What is commonly thought of as “Jewish” tradition in fact comes from Jews whose ancestors came from a particular region of the world. There are many cultural traits and behaviors that are shared by many Jews, however, that culture is not shared by all Jews all over the world.

What Do Jews Believe?
Judaism has no dogma and no formal set of beliefs that one must hold to be a Jew.
The most a widely-accepted list of Jewish beliefs is Rambam's thirteen principles of faith which state that G-d exists, is uniquely one, incorporeal, and eternal. Prayer is directs only to G-d. He knows the thoughts and deeds of men and will reward the good and punish the wicked. Moses’ and the prophets’ words are true. He was given the Torah of which there is no other. The Messiah will come and the dead will be resurrected.

What are the Jewish holy books?
The Torah or Pentateuch is the Five Books of Moses (Old Testament). It is often used to mean all of the teachings that G-d gave to Moses. The full Torah includes both the Written Torah and the Oral Torah. The basics of the Oral Torah have been recorded in what is today called the Talmud. This is a collection of ancient rabbinic writings consisting of the Mishnah and the Gemara.

What is the origin of the words Jew and Judaism?
Originally Jewish people were known as Hebrews. One tradition of the origin of the word Hebrew is that it is derived from the name of one of Abraham’s ancestors who was called Eber. Another tradition states that it came from the word eyver, which means the other side and refers to the other side of the Euphrates.
One theory is that the word Jew (Yehudi in Hebrew) comes from the name Judah who was one of Jacobs’s twelve sons. Judaism means Judah-ism (Yehudim). The other theory is that Yehudim means People ofG-d, because the first three letters of Yehudah are the same as the first three letters of G-d's four-letter name.
Another name used for the Jewish people is Children of Israel or Israelites. This is because they are descended from Jacob who was also called Israel.

Who are the Jews?
In general, a Jew is any person whose mother was a Jew or any person who has gone through the formal process of conversion to Judaism is a Jew. They do not have to believe everything that Orthodox Jews believe and do not have to observe every tradition and custom. If a person is born to a Jewish mother, and is an atheist, and never practices the Jewish religion; they are still a Jew even in the eyes of the most Orthodox sect.

Why do some Jews write "G-d"?
In Judaism it is forbidden to deface or desecrate the Name of G-d in any way. Some believers are of the opinion that this applies to the word "G-d" where someone might throw it out.

Why don't Jews believe Jesus was the Messiah?
The Jewish people do not believe that the Messiah will be crucified, that he will be the son of G-d, that he will be raised from the dead, that he will appear twice, in a second coming or that the Messiah will redeem anyone from their sins.

How will the Jewish Messiah be known?
The Messiah will be a mortal man and will have normal parents. He will be of the heir of David through his father. He will have at least one son, who will be king after the Messiah dies a normal death at an advanced age. The Messiah will bring peace to Israel and the world and defeat its enemies. All of the Jewish people will return from their exile to their home in Israel. Anyone who didn't or doesn't accomplish this must not be the Messiah.

What types of foods are permitted by Jewish law?
Due to scriptures in the bible, certain foods are deemed to be unclean or not Kosher.
Meat of any animal which does not both chew its cud and have a split hoof, such as rabbit or hare, pig, horse, dog or cat. Beef, weal, venison, mutton, and lamb are permitted. The animal from which this meat is taken must have been slaughtered in accordance with prescribed Jewish ritual to avoid them experiencing pain. All liver must be broiled before use in recipes, because of a prohibition against ingesting blood.
Fish must have both fins and scales that are detachable from the skin. All fish which have them are allowed. Not allowed are all shellfish (shrimp, lobster, clams, oysters, scallops, etc.) and crustaceans (crabs, crayfish/crawfish, etc.), scavengers/"Bottom-feeders" (such as catfish, monkfish), unless they have fins and scales, sturgeon (and, by extension, sturgeon caviar) and swordfish. All vegetables are acceptable.

What is the Jewish attitude toward non-Jews?
Again, in general, Judaism believes that Christians and Moslems worship the same G-d as they do. Those who follow the tenets of their own religion are considered righteous in the eyes of G-d.

Does Judaism allow interfaith marriages?
Traditional Judaism does not permit interfaith marriages because they believe that the majority of the offspring of these types of marriages are not raised in the Jewish faith. Liberal Judaism does permit it.

How do I become a Jew?
Traditionally rabbis are supposed to make three attempts to dissuade a person from converting to Judaism. However, once a person has decided to convert, he must learn Jewish religion, law and customs and observe them. This process of learning generally takes at least one year as all of the Jewish holidays must be experienced. The prospective convert is then brought before a rabbinical court for an oral examination. Once the examination is passed males are circumscribed and both sexes are immersed in a ritual bath.

These questions are offered as a simple introduction to Judaism.
They are presented as an opportunity for further exploration and understanding. No claim is made as to their accuracy or validity.

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