Judaism is one of the most widely practiced religions in the world. It is also the oldest monotheistic religion, originating at least 3,000 years ago. There are three different kinds of Judaism, Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform. Orthodox is the most traditional and had changed very little over the years. Conservative has changed to fit the times without losing much tradition. Reform Judaism is most modern of the three. No matter which kind of Judaism someone practices, in order to be considered Jewish they must practice Jewish traditions, observe Jewish law, and believe in God. Since Judaism is so old, it has many important traditions, many of which are still practiced today. One of the first things that comes to mind when someone thinks of Judaism is the synagogue. In the Orthodox synagogues, only Hebrew is spoken, while in the Conservative and Reform synagogues English is also spoken. The synagogue is a place of worship for the Jewish community. Men used to be the only ones who went to the synagogue, while women stayed at home and raised the family, but now both usually go. One of the most important Jewish traditions is the Sabbath. The Sabbath begins at sundown on Friday, and ends at sundown on Saturday. During the Sabbath no work is permitted. The entire day is devoted to family and prayer. Another part of Jewish life is kosher food. There are strict rules for preparing food, as well as rules on what can and cannot be eaten. Along with traditions, there are certain ceremonies associated with the Jewish religion. One of these ceremonies is the Bar Mitzfa. A Bar Mitzfa is a passage into adulthood. It is held on the Saturday following a Jewish boys thirteenth birthday. After his Bar Mitzfa, a Jewish boy is expected to observe Jewish laws, and is now responsible for his own actions. In Reform Judaism, girls have an equivalent ceremony called a Bat Mitzfa. There are many important Jewish holidays. No work is pe...
