Welcome to the Jewish Religion Judaism
Judaism was the first known
religion to believe in one god. It also is
one of the only religions to be made up
of one people. The Jewish religion is
broken into 3 main sections.

1. Orthodox-This form of Judaism is
very strict. They follow all laws closely.
The men always wear yarmulkas, which
are curved hats. Everyone prays 3 times
daily, observes all dietary rules, and
believes that God gave Moses the laws of
the Torah and the Talmud.

2. Reform-Some members of the Jewish
Religion questioned the traditional
teachings of Judaism in the 1800's. They
believed that the Talmud was written
by humans, instead of God. People who
practice Reform Judaism do not celebrate
as many traditional customs as Orthodox
Judaism does, because they believe
that the Bible, morals, and ethics are
the most important things in their religion,
not rituals and ceremonies.

3. Conservative-Like Reform Judaism, Conservative Judaism developed in the 1800's. This form of Judaism believes that their religon should change with the world. While they are not nearly as strict about following the traditional rules of Judaism as the Orthodox, they follow more traditions than Reformists.

Judaism is not governed by any one person. Each local congregation choses its own rabbi and manages its own affairs. A synagogue, or temple, is where Jewish children learn about their heritage and study the Hebrew language. It is also the Jewish place of worship. At the front of the sanctuary, which is where ceremonies are held, there is an ark, which is a chest where the scrolls of the Torah are kept. The Torah is the first 5 books of the Hebrew Bible. It contains all the basic laws and teachings of Judaism.

Dietary Rules


Only animals with cloven hooves, which also chew their cud, may be eaten. This includes cattle, sheep, goats, and deer.
Only the forequarters may be eaten.
Only fish with scales and fins may be eaten.
Meat and dairy foods may not be eaten at the same meal, and they must be prepared with different utensils.
Food called kosher may be eaten, while food called trayf is unclean, and not to be eaten.