Judaism

Basic Beliefs: 1) A Supreme god who knows peoples thoughts and deeds and passes judgment on them 2) Accuracy of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) 3) Moses is greatest prophet 4) A savior/messiah will eventually come 5) Resurrection of the dead 6) God created everything including evil 7) God is eternal 8) Prayer addressed to god no one else 9) God will reward the good and punish the evil 10) Monotheistic (believe in one god)

Discrimination:
 * In 586 BCE the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezza, destroyed the First Jewish Temple which had the first 10 commandments written on tablets in the temple. The Persian Empire defeated the Babylonians and the Jews built another temple in 515 BCE.
 * In 175 BCE the Syria King damaged the second temple and tried to eliminate the Jews by passing new laws.
 * In BCE the Roman Empire forced the Jews to pay high taxes because they were different.
 * In 132 CE hundreds of thousands of Jews were killed or made into slaves. The survivors and the Jews that were not enslaved were forced to leave Jerusalem.
 * In 1941-1945 German Adolf Hitler killed more than 6 million Jews, known as the holocaust
 * 2010 - Group of Jews won a discrimination lawsuit against Anti Semitic Association because of hate mail, 2 Swastikas drawn on garage doors, house deed said not to sell house to a "member of the Hebrew race", and a Jewish house was burnt down.

Percentage of World Population: - Israel 40.6% - United States 40.3% - France 3.8% - Canada 2.9% - United Kingdom 2.3% - Russia 1.7% - Argentina 1.4%

Impact on Government: In 1933, the Nazi regime came to power in Europe, where over nine million Jews lived. The Germans believed that they were the superior race and the Jews were inferior. In the early years the Germans established concentration camps to detain imagined political and ideological opponents. These opponents included the Jews. They would deport these Jews to ghettos and killing centers, also known as extermination camps. They would also have them transfered to other camps either by train or they would have Jews march there, hence adopting the name death marches.

In the six-day war between Israel and the Arabs in 1967 caused some problems for the Jewish people. In Syria and Iraq, the Jews were being virtually kept as hostages. The few thousand Jews that were living in Arab countries fled after the war, bringing communities that have been around since biblical times are being brought to extinction. Some Arab countries would even prosecute Jews as if they were Isreali's living with them. In most Arab countries, people held demonstrations and anti-Jewish riots.

Lifestyles:

Clothing: Jewish people wear many different things depending on their sex. Head Coverings are a main headpiece you will see Jewish people wearing. Most men wear a skullcap called a Yarmulke. Also known as a Kipah during prayer. Women also wear a skullcap during services or studies. Most women just wear a common net or hat. Modesty is a major rule in the Jewish community that you must follow. Observant women who are married always have modest clothing on. They are required to cover their heads with a hat, scarf, or wig. Jewish people are allowed to dress up to attend different services such as, Sabbath and festivals. On Purim, which is a Jewish holiday, the community dresses up in costumes and masquerade as characters from the book of Esther. A Jewish law prohibits Jews from mixing wool and linen in the same garment. On Passover and other holiday Jewish people wear dress clothes normally fancier than usual. There are many different forms of Judaism. Orthodox Jews normally wear black, which symbolizes their serious intentions.

Prayer: Jewish people pray throughout the day. Sharcharit, is the name for morning prayers. Jews say prayers upon rising. This prayer is just a basic blessing that can be found in the Torah. Mincha is the afternoon prayer. During this prayer they read scripture out of the Torah. In the evening prayer is called Ma’ariv. Which is a public call to prayer. Jews have Friday night services and Saturday services. Saturday there is various times to go such as, the normal Saturday service followed by the Saturday morning additional service, and then later a Saturday afternoon sevice.

Conflict:

Arab-Israeli Conflict: The British declared the Balfour Declaration in 1917 The Arabs seem the Jews as the major obstacle to the union of Palestine with Syria in 1920. In a political demonstration, cries were directed against the Jews. The agitators attacked the Jews during the demonstration. War of Independence,1948, Sinai War,1956, Six Day War,1967, Yom Kippur War,1973, were the four wars that the Arab nations initiated against Israel. The conflict all started because the Arab nations refused to accept the existence of Israel. The Arabs were against the Balfour Declaration, which stated the British support for a Jewish national home in Palestine. The Arabs wanted to have little to do with the Jews and the British mandate. The violence from the riots of opposing the Jewish national home led to the formation of the Jewish self-defense organization in 1920. In 1936, the Arab Revolt broke out. The revolt spread rapidly because of the unpreparedness of the British authorities. Thousands of Arabs and hundreds of Jews were killed in the revolt. Israel returned the attacks on June 1967 and was able to conquered Gaza Strip and Sinai Desert from Egypt, the Golan Heights from Syria, West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan. Israel willingly returned the conquered territories back to the Arab nations in exchange for peace, but the Arabs refused to negotiate. East Jerusalem combined with West Jerusalem became Israel's indivisible capital in 1980. The Palestinians also claimed Jerusalem as their capital. And the issue became a large obstacle for a solution to the conflict. Obstacles to end the conflict: The claims of two national governments on the same land is the primary cause of the conflict. Also because the Arabs refuse to accept the Jewish self-determination. It is further complicated because of the preconceptions and demonizing of each other by both sides.

Torah is a very important text to Jews, it contains stories and the main commandments. so basically the Torah is just like the Christian bible. Sources: 1) http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&isETOC=true&inPS=true&prodId=GVRL&userGroupName=pl7053&resultListType=RELATED_DOCUMENT&searchType=BasicSearchForm&contentSegment=9781414406121&docId=GALE|

2) http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/jewpop.html

3) http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_do_Jewish_people_wear

4) http://www.ehow.com/facts_5131965_type-clothing-jewish-people-wear.html

5) http://www.science.co.il/arab-israeli-conflict.asp

6) http://www.israel-palestina.info/arab-israeli_conflict.html

7) http://israelipalestinian.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=000502

8)http://www.mideastweb.org/briefhistory.htm

9)http://www.religionfacts.com/judaism/practices/worship_prayer.htm

10) http://www.vosizneias.com/59106/2010/06/30/boston-ma-jewish-group-wins-discrimination-lawsuit-against-anti-semitic-association/

11) http://www.cmep.org/documents/Timeline.htm