Essay About History Of Judaism And Way Of Life Of The Jewish People

History of Judaism
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CULTURE AND RELIGION
Judaism
Introduction
Judaism is the religion and the way of life of the Jewish people. It is the oldest of the monotheistic
faiths in the Abrahamic tradition which include Christianity and Islam. The central principle of the
monotheistic faiths is the belief in the one God: the all-knowing, all-powerful and ever-present
creator of the universe.
The history of Judaism cannot be separated from the history of the Jewish people. There are
about 14 million Jewish people in the world today and of these only 5 million live in the Jewish
state of Israel. Over the centuries the Jewish people have been dispersed throughout the world,
albeit still having a profound influence on humanity and civilisation.
English Jews were among the first European settlers in Australia and comprised the first non-
Christian community to be established in colonial Australia.
Background and Origins
Judaism originated with the biblical patriarch Abraham (approx 1800 BCE). Abraham established
a covenant with God that was confirmed with the reception of the Torah (the Law including the
Ten Commandments) from God through Moses to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai
approximately 3,320 years ago.
It is important to recognise that as a result of changes since the general emancipation in Europe
in the 18th Century, there is now a great deal of diversity within Judaism both in religious and
cultural expressions.
Expressions of Judaism
Jews derive their Jewishness through either being born to a Jewish mother (for Reform Judaism,
Jewish identity can be derived from either parent) or through conversion to Judaism under an
orthodox Rabbinical court. Some individuals identify with Judaism as a personal choice. Judaism
is mainly a communal culture and relies on family and community institutions to ensure continuity
and manage membership.
For those who subscribe to Judaism as a religion, the central text is the Torah – the five books of
Moses – the Law, containing 613 commandments expounded on by the Talmud – the
Oral/Rabbinic Law. Religious expressions of Judaism believe that God is one, has no form,
created the world, is eternal and is still actively involved in world affairs. Different streams differ in
the degree to which the law can be interpreted and applied to modernity. Common religious
streams of Judaism in Australia include: Orthodox, Reform (Progressive) and Conservative.
CULTURE AND RELIGION
Jews who identify culturally may be secular, agnostic, humanist, traditional, and may choose any
combination of a range of cultural experiences as their focus including language, Israel, history,
music, stories and Jewish cultural experiences from Europe, the Middle East or Spain and its
former colonies. Little information is available about the affiliations of Jewish people in the
Northern Territory.
The lack of community structures such as synagogues, illustrates that it is rare to find observant
religious Jews as long-time residents of the Northern Territory. Most Jews in the Northern
Territory adopt personal cultural expressions based on their own preferences and while they may
hold small informal gatherings on festivals and on the Sabbath no communal structure exists.
The recitation of prayers, daily as well as on the Sabbath and Holy Days, is a defining
characteristic of Jewish religious worship. The traditional Jewish prayer book is known as the
Siddur and the oldest and most important of all Jewish prayers is the Shemah. The Shemah
contains verses from the Torah and is an affirmation of Judaism and a declaration of faith.
Observant Jews are obligated to recite the Shemah twice a day, morning and evening.
Demographics
According to the 2006 Census, 88,832 people in Australia identified with Judaism as their religion,
comprising 0.5% of the total population. Australias Jewish population grows at the same rate as
the general population. The figure for the Jewish population however may not include people who
do not identify with Judaism as a religion and may also exclude those who refuse to answer the
question on the grounds of privacy or fear of misuse of the information. Some estimates of the
actual Jewish population in Australia are as high as 120,000.
The great majority of Australias Jewish population lives in the two largest cities Melbourne and
Sydney and there are established Jewish communities in other major cities in Australia. In the
Northern Territory 120 people nominated Judaism as their religion in the 2006 Census.
Greetings and Introductions
The following sensitivities may need to be observed on greeting or introduction:
* Observant orthodox Jews do not shake hands with members of the opposite sex.
* Some, when a hand is offered,