Judaism

Judaism is one of the most ancient religions, and became largely codified in Babylon in the 6th century BCE₂. It was perhaps the first religion to be comprehensively monotheistic. Jews believe that God has a special covenant with the Jewish community₃, as testified to in the Torah. From Judaism sprang both Christianity and Islam. Judaism is counted as one of the great world religions₄.

Types of Judaism ₁₄

There are three main forms of Judaism.

• Orthodox Judaism "sees itself as the upholder of traditional Judaism. Hebrew is the language used at all services, and traditional Jewish law (halakhah) is observed concerning food and behaviour. Among [them] are the Hassidic Jews, whose dress and lifestyle is that of eighteenth-century Eastern Europe, particularly Poland, where the Hassidic movement began. They are distinguished by their black clothing, long coats, and tall or wide hats"₁₅.
• Liberal Judaism (called "Reform Judaism" in the USA)... "This arose in the early nineteenth century as an attempt to make Judaism a more modern faith, unencumbered by what its founders saw as outdated dietary laws and the exclusive use of Hebrew in worship. It also embraced modern biblical scholarship; for example, it does not teach that Moses wrote the five books of the Torah. [...] They observe some dietary laws, but not nearly as many as those observed by the Orthodox"₁₅. See: "What is Liberal Judaism" on liberaljudaism.org.
• Conservative Judaism is primarily found in the USA and is known elsewhere as "Reform Judaism". "It seeks to observe the traditional Jewish laws (halakhah), but also allows modifications, so long as these are seen to be loyal to the Law and to developments of the laws over the centuries. For example in 1960 the Conservative Jews agreed to the use of electricity on the sabbath and to using a car to travel to the synagogue - something Orthodox Judaism would not permit"₁₅.