Judaism is one of the world's oldest religious traditions. The total world Jewish population is more than 18 million. In India several tiny but sociologically interesting communities of Jews are located along the western coast. The religion of the Jews is a monotheistic religion that believes that God's actions are evident in human actions and their history.

Core
Abraham founded the religion of the Jews in the 20th century BC. He was the Patriarch of the Hebrew people who lived in Harran in Mesopotamia and later left for Canaan (now Israel and Lebanon). Jews are considered to be the nomadic descendants of Abraham and his sons Isaac and Jacob. Twelve Hebrew families or tribes migrated to Egypt due to a great famine in Canaan and lived as slaves for several generations till they were freed during the Exodus in the 13th century BC.
Yahweh, is the god of Israel, which Jews believe to be the creator of the world and He has chosen the Jews to be his people. God entered into a covenant with Abraham and he promised to liberate Israel from Egypt. God fulfilled his promises to Abraham through Moses, a prophet, before whom he appeared, on Mt. Sinai. Moses led the Exodus, and brought his people to Canaan. At Exodus from Egypt God liberated Israel and punished the Egyptians with plague and drowning at the sea. The Old Testament describes the Exodus and the history of the formation of Israel.
The Twelve tribes felt a need for leadership that led to monarchy. Saul was king in circa 1021 BC, but it was David in circa 1000 BC who conquered Jerusalem and established it as the national capital. David's son, Solomon, built the First Temple.
During the next 200 years foreign thought that included influences from Mari, Babylonia, Mesopotamia, Ugarit, and Egypt influenced the Jewish religion. When Alexander conquered Palestine in 332 BC, the period of Hellenistic Judaism (4th century BC-2nd century CE) was introduced. During this period, the major centres of Judaism were in Syria, Asia Minor, Babylonia, and most particularly in Alexandria, Egypt. From 63 BC to 135 CE(common era), during the Roman rule, an attempt was made to form an independent Jewish state.

Faith & Practices
The religion of the Jews, a monotheistic religion that believes that God's presence is experienced in human actions and history. It is the expression of a set of beliefs and values that is discerned in patterns of action, social order, and culture.
Judaism is a rich and complex religious tradition the basis of which is radical monotheism or the belief that a single, transcendent God created the universe. Jews also believe that everything that is created has a special purpose and the world is both intelligible and has a definite purpose, because the divine intelligence of God governs it. God revealed Himself to the Israelites at Mount Sinai. This revelation is written in the Torah (revealed instruction) and mankind knew God's will by the commandments (mitzvoth). It was according to the Mitzvoth by which Jews were supposed to regulate their lives in interacting with one another and with God.
A second major concept in Judaism is that of the covenant (Berith), or contractual agreement, between God and the Jewish people. God entered into a special relationship with the Jewish people at Sinai. It was agreed that the Jews would acknowledge God as their ultimate king and obey His laws and only then God would acknowledge Israel as His own people.
Jews believe that they are God's chosen people as channel to all mankind, requiring them to obey the Torah (laws) and to act as witness for the other peoples of the world. Sin is viewed as deliberate disobedience of the Law, or Torah, and the return to Torah is considered a deliberate choice.
The establishment of God's Kingdom was to be accomplished by the Messiah, who would be a descendent of King David. He would redeem the Jews and establish their independence in the Land of Israel. On his arrival, all nations would be at peace and give up war and strife.
They worship Yahweh, their God without images. Values of life, labour and social unity are important. The concepts of God, Torah and Israel were important. The Rabbinic God was the Biblical God, the creator and source of life. He was the father to whom each individual could turn to in time of his need.
All men are considered equal and created in the image of God. A Jew must keep the universe in order, marry, build a family, educate his children and respect his elders. Mankind can have a dual nature of obedience (good impulse) and disobedience (evil impulse) to God's law and has the freedom of choice.
For a Jew his life is a continuous prayer. He keeps The Lord always before me. Jews pray three times a day, in the morning (shaharith), afternoon (minhah), and evening (maarib). Ten men form a congregation (minyan), for prayer.
Their prayer is a series of benedictions called the Tefillah (prayer). It is also known as the Amidah (standing prayer, because it is recited standing) and the Shemoneh Esreh (18 in Hebrew) because it originally contained 18 benedictions. They recite the Shema in the morning and evening. All services conclude with two messianic prayers, the first called Alenu, the second called the Kaddish. All Jews over the age of 13 wear a prayer shawl (tallith) during prayers and prayer boxes called tefillin. The head is covered during prayer, either with a hat or a skullcap (kippah; Yiddish yarmulke).
The study of passages from the Torah, Mishnah and Talmud are recited during daily morning prayers. The major Torah readings take place on Sabbath (rest day) and festival mornings.
According to the Torah certain animals as clean and unclean and only clean animals are to be eaten. A Kosher (prepared) animal must be properly slaughtered by a ritual slaughterer called Shohet. Meat and dairy products cannot be eaten or served together.
Every seventh day is the Sabbath (Saturday) symbolising the seventh day of Creation on which God rested. On this day no work is performed. The Sabbath is spent in prayer, contemplation, study, rest, and family feasting. A Musaf (prayer service) is recited in the synagogue on Sabbaths and festivals.

Sects
An important sectarian event during the rule of the Romans was the rise of Christianity. Then came Rabbinic Judaism, under which the Talmud (the oral tradition) developed, stretched from the 2nd to the 18th century.
In the modern times Judaism was subjected to many reform movements. In the West (particularly in Germany) Judaism was reformulated as a religion based on confession and atonement, like modern Protestantism. The German Reform movement abandoned the hope of a return to Zion (the Jewish homeland), shortened the worship service, insisted on sermons in the local language and rejected many Jewish laws and customs.
Modern Orthodoxy, sought a blend of traditional Judaism and modern learning. In Eastern Europe, where Jews formed a large and distinctive social group, modernisation of Judaism emphasised the national language (Hebrew) and the creation of a modern, secular literature and culture. Zionism, the movement to create a modern Jewish society in the ancient homeland, took firm hold in Eastern Europe and it ultimately led to the creation of the state of Israel in 1948.
Conservative Judaism respects traditional Jewish law and practice while advocating a flexible approach to the Halakah. It recognizes modern criticism of the authorship and composition of the Bible and other important texts. ame Masorti ("traditional").
Reconstructionist Judaism advocates reconsideration of the core tenets of Judaism such as God, Israel, the Torah, and the synagogue, in line with the development of modern philosophy and society. It places great emphasis on Jewish identity and culture. It accorded equal status to women.

Literature
Although Judaism is rooted in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) which they refer to as Tanach, contemporary Judaism is derived from the rabbinic movement and is called rabbinic Judaism. A rabbi (my teacher in Arabaic and Hebrew) is a Jewish sage adept in studying the Scriptures. Tanach is the acronym for the three sections of the Old Testament namely

• Torah, the Pentateuch
• Nebiim, the prophetic literature
• Ketubim, the other writings

Holy Places
Synagogues are the traditional places of worship. Jerusalem is their main Holy place where the remains of the Two Holy temples that have the Ark can be visited. The stone tablets on which the covenant is recorded is kept in the Ark.

Festivals
The Jewish year includes five major festivals and two minor ones.
The major festivals are

• Pesach (Passover), the spring festival, marks the beginning of the barley harvest and celebrates the exodus from Egypt.
• Shabuoth (Weeks or Pentecost) marks the conclusion of the barley harvest 50 days later and also celebrates the time of the giving of the Torah on Sinai.
• Sukkoth (Tabernacles) celebrates the autumn harvest and is preceded by a ten-day period of communal purification. The solemn reading of the Ten Commandments in the synagogue marks it.
• The ten-day penitential period before Sukkoth is inaugurated by Rosh Hashanah, the New Year, and concludes with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. A ram's horn (shofar) is blown on the New Year to call the people to repentance.
• Yom Kippur, The Day of Atonement, the holiest day in the Jewish year, is spent in fasting, prayer, and confession.

• Hanukkah (Dedication)
• Purim (Lots)