| A | B |
|---|
| Abraham | The father of Judaism or the one who started Judaism, he was also a great Hebrew leader |
| Fertile Crescent | The land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers that was very good for growing crops |
| Canaan | The land of milk and honey, the land to which Abraham traveled and to which Moses lead the Hebrews from Egypt |
| Egypt | Where the Hebrews went when there was famine in Canaan and where the became slaves for 400 years |
| Moses | A Hebrew who was raised as a prince in Egypt, he lead the Hebrews out of slavery |
| 40 years | How long the Hebrews were in the desert when they were on their way to Canaan from Egpt |
| Mount Sinai | The place where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God |
| Ten Commandments | One important foundation of Hebrew law governing religious belief and behavior |
| The First Commandment | Belief in one God |
| Polytheism | Belief in many gods |
| Monotheism | Belief in one God |
| Solomon | King of Israel 3,000 years ago, he was very wise and his proverbs are written in the Torah |
| Torah | The Jewish holy book |
| Judaism | The religion of the Hebrews |
| Mezuzah | This is attached to the right side of doors in Jewish houses, it is there to remind Jews of their duty to God |
| Kippah or skullcap | Is worn on the head by Jews to remember that human beings are beneath, or dependent on God |
| Shofar or ram's horn | This is blown during the Jewish celebrations of Yom Kippur an Rosh Hashanah, the loud noise is to wake people up and remind them of their responsiblitiy to ask forgiveness for their sins |
| Star of David | A new symbol of Judaism, named after King David who had a star on his shield |
| Chosen people | Jewish people have the special responsibility of receiving the Torah and passing on its ethical message to the world |
| Messiah | Jewish belief that "annointed one" will be a human being, a descendent of King David, who will bring world peace and all people will worship one God |
| Prayer | Jews must do this three times a day, morning, afternoon, and evening |
| Tzedakah or charity | Jews are obligated to give at least 10-15% of income to this |
| Dietary laws | Jews have certain foods they are allowed and not allowed to eat |
| Pig or pork | Jews are not allowed to eat |
| Jewish Sabbath | Friday night until dark on Saturday night, Jews set aside time to rest, they do not do any creative acts in this time, like cooking, sewing, writing or painting |
| Passover | Festival celebrating freedom from slavery and leaving Egypt |
| Maror, usually horseradish | On the Seder Plate, represents the bitterness of slavery |
| Charoset, a mixture of apples, walnuts, and cinnamon, and wine | On the Seder Plate, resembles the mortar which Israelites used to built Egyptian cities |
| Z'roah or a roasted bone | On the Seder Plate, represents the Passover offering |
| Karpas, ususally parsley | On the Seder Plate, represents spring, this is eaten dipped in salt water which represents the tears of slavery |
| The festival of Chanukah | Celebrates the Jewish defeat of the syrian Greeks in 165 BC by the Maccbees |
| Menorah | A special 8 branched candleholder which is a symbol of chanukah, to remember the miracle of the small amount of oil that lasted 8 days and nights |
| Dreidel game | A Jewish top spinning game played during Chanukah |
| Holocaust | Six million Jews were killed in Europe before and during World War II by Germany, they were being blamed for all of Germany's problems |
| Yom Hashoah | A week after Passover, Jews observe a special day, Holocaust Rememberance Day, as a reminder of the horrible consequences of hatred |
| Middle East | Area of the world where Judaism began |
| Israel | The present day name of the country where Canaan used to be |
| Synagogue | The center of the Jewish religious community: a place of prayer, study and education, social and charitable work, as well as a social center |
