AP Human Geography 2011 - Judaism

1. Judaism Gentry & Natalie

2. Origin Started with Abraham (considered to be the father of Judaism) who believed in one supreme being his name was changed from Abram to Abraham after God promised him that he would be the father of many nations This idea of believing in one supreme being was passed on to Abraham’s son Isaac Passed from Isaac to his son Jacob (whose name was changed to Israel) Then was passed from Jacob to his twelve sons who founded the twelve tribes of Israel Gentlie

3. Origin Continuing Who is man? Man is created in the image of God Why is man here? To keep the Torah and God’s commandments (the mitzvot) To glorify God Where is man going? Judaism doesn’t say anything specific about a certain place (like heaven) but it does teach about an afterlife Olam Ha-Ba: The World to Come Because there is not much in the Torah that talks about an afterlife, there is room left for personal opinion Temporary punishment after death is within traditional belief Gentlie

4. Burial Practices After someone dies, a Shomerim (or guard) stays with the body from the time of death until the funeral and burial Cremation and organ removal is prohibited unless needed for an autopsy or organ donation Open caskets are also not allowed Bodies are buried in a linen shroud so that the poor do not receive less honor than the rich Natatree

5. Holy Book The Torah Considered to be the Old Testament in the Christian Bible Can also be used in the context of only being the five books of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) Also referred to as the Tanakh Is basically consisted of the laws that Jews should abide by Gentlie

6. Holy Places The Western Wall The Temple Mount Jerusalem (considered the Holy City) Natatree

7. Holidays Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) Consists of fasting, depriving oneself of pleasures, and repenting of ones sins from the past year Rosh Hashanah First of the year (Jewish New Year) Passover Celebration of the Exodus from Egypt Marks the beginning of the harvest season Hanukkah Rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem following the Jewish victory over the Greeks in 165 B.C. Celebrated over eight days Gentlie

8. Calendar Lunar calendar Each month begins on the new moon Months are about twenty-nine days so a year is about 350 days Causes agricultural problems Solved by adding a month to seven out of nineteen years Allows holidays to be celebrated in the same season Natatree

9. Places of Worshi p The Jewish church is called the synagogue, shul, or temple Everyone is to go on Shabbos (Saturday) Women can go to the synagogue whenever they want Men are advised to attend the synagogue three times a day and are to pray with a minyan (which is a quorum of ten adult males) Gentlie

10. Conflicts Jews declared independence in 1948 and the United Nations set the boundaries of Israel The next day, the neighboring Arab Muslim states declared war Thereafter, Jerusalem was divided between Israel and Jordan Western Jerusalem became part of Israel Palestinians were also a conflict with Israel Egypt and Jordan renounced the Gaza Strip and West Bank Natatree

11. Conflicts Continuing Ultimate obstacle to peace in Middle East is the status of Jerusalem If one religion maintains exclusive political control over Jerusalem then the other religious groups will not be satisfied Israelis have no intentions of giving up control of the Old City and Palestinians have no intention of giving up their claim to it Natatree

12. Holocaust One of the greatest tragedies for Jews was during World War II (1939-1945) Jews were required to wear the Star of David on their clothes so they would be set apart from everyone else Jews hid from Nazis and lived in fear of being found and taken away Countless Jews were brought to concentration camps which is where most of them died During World War II, Hitler persecuted thousands of Jews in Europe (specifically Germany) and was responsible for the death of millions of them Gentlie

13. Sources Page http://www.religionfacts.com/judaism/beliefs/human.htm http://www.jewfaq.org/origins.htm http://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/jerusalem-temple-mount http://judaism101.com http://www.religionfacts.com/judaism/practices/worship_prayer.htm An Introduction to Human Geography by James M. Rubenstein