Young Wrexham

Judaism

Judaism is the religion of Jewish people and it has about 15 million followers world-wide. The values and history of the Jewish people are a large part of the foundation of other religions such as Christianity and Islam.

Jews believe that the God who created the world made an agreement with the Jewish people and showed them his laws and commandments in the form of their religious book, the Torah. Jews are devoted to the study and consideration of these laws and commandments in their everyday lives.

Beliefs

The main belief of Judaism is that there is one all-knowing, all-seeing, all-loving God who created the universe and is still a part of its governance.

• In Judaism, each person has a direct, personal relationship with God and they address God directly in their prayers
• Jews believe that God appointed them as his holy people and that they should set a religious and ethical standard
• Jews believe that life is Holy and sacred
• The holy book of Judaism is called the Torah, and is a guide to correct living and its study is a kind of worship
• Jews believe in the 'Covenant', which is God's agreement with them - in exchange for what God has done and will do for them, Jews must obey the laws of the Torah and live a Jewish life

The community is very important in Judaism and group prayer and worship are a prominent part in Jewish life. Many young Jewish people spend time away from their families on community projects such as a kibbutz.

Jews believe in following the Ten Commandments, which are:

• I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery. Thou shalt have no other Gods before Me
• Do not make a sculpted image or any likeness of what is in the heavens above
• Thou shalt not swear falsely by the name of the Lord
• Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy
• Thou shalt honour your father and your mother
• Thou shalt not murder
• Thou shalt not commit adultery
• Thou shalt not steal
• Thou shalt not bear false witness against your neighbour
• Thou shalt not covet your neighbour's house

Customs

The Shabbat

The Jewish holy day is called Shabbat, and is a day of rest. Shabbat is commanded by God as a time of peace, which begins at sunset on Friday and lasts until sunset on Saturday.

• Jews should not work during Shabbat, or watch television or use the telephone except in emergencies
• Traditional Shabbat greetings are Shabbat Shalom (Hebrew), or Gut Shabbos (Yiddish)
• As well as attending synagogue (a Jewish place of worship), Shabbat is a day for families to worship God together
• Many young people, or those without family, get together to celebrate Shabbat together
• There are many customs associated with Shabbat, which Jews must organise before the actual day, as it is forbidden to do any work during Shabbat itself
• An important Shabbat custom is the lighting of two candles at sunset on Friday which is usually carried out by women
• The candles represent the commandment to observe Shabbat
• Special foods are eaten during Shabbat. After the candles are lit a sweet wine is drunk from a Kiddush cup, and a rich bread is eaten before the three special meals that Jewish people must eat on the Shabbat
• All of these customs have special meanings. Drinking wine for instance represents is a celebration of God

Passover

Passover is the most important Jewish festival. It is celebrated to remember the escape of the Jews from slavery in Egypt.

Passover celebrations last seven or eight days. During Passover, Jews are forbidden to eat leavened bread - that is bread that has risen. This remembers that when the Jews left Egypt they did not have time to let their bread rise. It also reminds Jewish people not to be arrogant, or 'puffed'.

There are also other important foods that are eaten during Passover with each one representing something different for Jewish people. These are:

• Lamb to represent a sacrifice to God
• An egg, to show the Jews' determination not to abandon their beliefs under oppression by the Egyptians
• Greenery to represent new life
• Salt water like a slave's tears
• Four cups of wine are drunk to remember that God promised the Jews freedom four times
• Charoset (a paste made of apples, nuts, cinnamon and wine) represents the mortar used to build Egyptian palaces when the Jews were slaves

Jews believe that the Messiah will come to earth during Passover, which will be announced by the prophet Elijah. For this reason, the door is always left open for Elijah and an extra glass of wine is set at the table for him.