1. Roots of Judaism: The Israelites

2. What do you know about the History of the Jews?
What do you know about their belief system and their major figures?
Think of David, Solomon, etc.

3. Monotheistic Israelites
The Israelites, later known as Jews, prayed to only one God. (Monotheism)
They believed God had made a covenant with them and that they were his chosen people
The Israelites believed in an all-knowing, all-powerful God who was present everywhere.
The Israelites Holy Book, which had all their laws, was the Torah

5. The Kingdom of Israel
By 1000 BC the Israelites had set up a kingdom called Israel after King David united the feuding Israelite nations into a single nation.
After the rule of David’s son Solomon, Israel split into Israel in the north & Judah in the south
This division lead Israel to fall to the Assyrians in 722 BC & Judah to fall to the Babylonians in 586 BC.
Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Israel’s great temple and forced many Israelis into exile in Babylon
This became known as the Babylonian Captivity
During this time they became known as Jews
Years later they would be freed by Persian leader Cyrus

7. Israel Law & Society
Israeli society was patriarchal, giving fathers and husbands great legal & moral authority. Women had few legal rights.
At the Heart of Israeli Law are the Ten Commandments, which Jews believe God gave them through Moses.
Unlike many ancient societies, Jews saw their leaders as fully human and bound to obey God’s law.

8. Jewish Diaspora
More than 2000 years ago, many Jews left their homeland in what was called the Diaspora:
Scattering of Jews where Jews dispersed to many different parts of the world
Wherever, they settled Jews stuck together and followed their unique customs & religious traditions
Judaism is considered one of the 5 Major World religions because of its great contribution to Christianity & Islam