Exploring Jewish Identity
Welcome! This activity will help you explore different aspects of Jewish identity. Note that this activity does not contain an exhaustive list of all aspects of Jewish identity for all Jewish people. Rather, this serves as an introductory self-guided tour through some components of Jewish life for many Jews and offers multimedia illustrations of those components.
BEGIN
ETHNICITY
TRADITIONS
RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCE
CULTURE
LANGUAGE
Select a cetegory to begin exploring.
SOURCES
Indian Jews
Sephardic
Watch a video about where Jews are from.
Latin American Jews
Ashkenazi
Mizrahi
Chinese Jews
Italki
Jews of the Global Majority; Multiethnic and Multiracial Jews
ETHNICITY
Ethiopian/Beta
Jews by Choice
Abayudaya
Back to tREE
Is there a difference between Sephardic and Mizrachi Jews?
Sephardic
Back to BRANCH
Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi
Who Are Ashkenazi Jews? | Rabbi Rachel M. Solomin, My Jewish Learning
Back to BRANCH
Is There a Difference Between Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews?
Mizrahi
1 of 3
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Explore More
Mizrahi
A Brief Overview of Mizrahi Jews | Facing History & Ourselves
2 of 3
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What Happened to the Mizrahi Jews of Arab Countries?
Mizrahi
3 of 3
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Rome, Italy: Jewish Quarter
Italki
Back to BRANCH
Ethiopian Jews
Ethiopian/Beta
The History of Ethiopian Jewry | Atira Winchester, My Jewish Learning
Back to BRANCH
Ugandan Jews
Abayudaya
We Are the Jews of Uganda. This is Our Story | Mugoya Shadrach Levi and Edward Rensin
1 of 2
Back to BRANCH
Music from the Jewish People of Uganda
Abayudaya
Abayudaya: Music from the Jewish People of Uganda | Various Artists
2 of 2
Back to BRANCH
Indian Jews
Indian Jews
India's 'Lost' Jews Seek a Place in Israel | Lulu Garcia-Navarro, NPR
Back to BRANCH
Conversos: The Story of Latin America's Crypto Jews
Latin American Jews
1 of 2
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The Jewish Diaspora: Latin American Stories
Latin American Jews
2 of 2
Back to BRANCH
Who Are the Chinese Jews of Kaifeng?
Chinese Jews
Back to BRANCH
Global Majority; Multiethnic and Multiracial Jews
Japanese Jews
Jewpanese Project | Carmel Tanaka
1 of 5
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Global Majority; Multiethnic and Multiracial Jews
Periphery
Periphery Exhibit | UJA Federation of Greater Toronto
2 of 5
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Global Majority; Multiethnic and Multiracial Jews
Jews of Color
Navigating Nuance: Using the Term "Jews of Color" | Jews of Color Initiative
3 of 5
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Global Majority; Multiethnic and Multiracial Jews
Jewtina
Join the Jewtina Movement | Jewtina y Co.
4 of 5
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Global Majority; Multiethnic and Multiracial Jews
The Untold Origins of Black Jews in America
5 of 5
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Jews by Choice
Jews by Choice
While Judaism is not an evangelical religion, meaning Jews do not recruit others to join the faith, the Torah and Talmud outline how those who choose to convert to Judaism must be treated once they enter the community. This includes making “Jews by choice” feel welcome, a responsibility found in verses from the Torah charging that Jews must remember what it was like to be strangers in Egypt. The Torah also requires that communities build social safety nets for those who do not have a strong family support system, like converts, widows, and orphans. It is important that those who choose to join the Jewish community feel that they belong and are not “othered” in any way.
Back to BRANCH
Ladino
Hebrew
Yiddish
Aramaic
Judeo-Arabic
LANGUAGE
Bukharic
Amharic
Back to tREE
Ladino
Ladino
Judeo-Spanish / Judezmo / Ladino | Jewish Languages
Back to BRANCH
Hebrew
Hebrew
Back to BRANCH
Yiddish
Yiddish
Yiddish (Eastern) | Jewish Languages
Back to BRANCH
Aramaic
Aramaic
Ancient Judeo-Aramaic | Jewish Languages
Back to BRANCH
Judeo-Arabic
Judeo-Arabic
Judeo-Arabic | Jewish Languages
Back to BRANCH
Bukharic
Bukharic
Judeo-Tajik / Bukharian | Jewish Languages
Back to BRANCH
Amharic
Amharic
Jewish Ethiopian Languages | Jewish Languages
Back to BRANCH
Conservative
Watch a video on the history of Jewish movements.
Cultural
Hasidic
Orthodox
Reconstructionist
RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCE
Reform
Renewal
Secular
Back to tREE
Conservative
Conservative
Seeks to preserve structure and content of Jewish law while allowing for adaptations to fit modernity.
Back to BRANCH
Cultural
Cultural
Jews who welcome the aspects of Judaism that connect them to the Jewish past and to one another. This can include music, foods, holidays, rituals, history, and literature but likely not the study of Torah or obligatory Jewish law.
Back to BRANCH
Hasidic
Hasidic
Orthodox Jews who form communities around a particular rabbi, called a rebbe. The rebbe’s teachings support strict Torah observance but primarily relate to modes of spiritual connection and worldview and often connect to kabbalah (Jewish mysticism).
Back to BRANCH
Orthodox
Orthodox
Emphasizes observance of both ethical and ritual obligations of traditional Jewish law.
Back to BRANCH
Reconstructionist
Reconstructionist
Emerging in the early twentieth century, the youngest of the American Jewish denominations. Sees Judaism as a civilization that must adapt and welcomes alternative approaches to traditional Jewish practice and law in light of contemporary events, philosophies, and scientific advances.
Back to BRANCH
Reform
Reform
Emphasizes ethical obligations over traditional understandings of Jewish law.
Back to BRANCH
Renewal
Renewal
Renewal Judaism seeks to rejuvenate Jewish observance through joyous spiritual practice. This can include inspiration drawn from kabbalistic sources (Jewish mysticism) or faiths outside Judaism. The goal is an energetic expression of Jewish spiritual connection.
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Secular
Secular
Jews who identify as secular Jews maintain their Jewish identity outside of any connection to Jewish spirituality or religious observance. As in other denominations and observance levels, each person decides for themselves what points of Jewish connection continue to be meaningful for them as an individual.
Back to BRANCH
Foods
Symbols
Literature
Music
CULTURE
Dance
Visual Art
Back to tREE
Explore Jewish Foods
Foods
Food Communities from Foodish | Anu Museum of the Jewish People
Mizrahi Remembrance Month | Onetable X Jimena Shabbat Supplement
1 of 3
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What Are the Top 8 Jewish Foods?
Foods
2 of 3
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Jewish Food: More Than Just Matzo Ball Soup
Foods
3 of 3
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Jewish Star
Symbols
How My Star of David Necklace Helped Me Understand My Jewish Identity | Sofia Isaias-Day, Jewish Women's Archive
1 of 5
Back to BRANCH
Jewish Hats to Hair Coverings: Decoding Jewish Attire
Symbols
2 of 5
Back to BRANCH
Podcast
Symbols
Episode 32: Jewish Head Coverings: A Blessing on Your Head | Association for Jewish Studies Podcast
3 of 5
Back to BRANCH
Hamsa
Symbols
What is a Hamsa? | Menachem Wecker at My Jewish Learning
4 of 5
Back to BRANCH
Peyot
Symbols
Why Do Some Chassidic Jews Have Long Sidelocks (Peyot)? | Yehuda Shurpin at Chabad.org
5 of 5
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Poems
Literature
Poems of Jewish Faith and Culture | Poetry Foundation
1 of 5
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Story
Literature
Three Stories: Fable of the Goat | S. Y. Agnon at Commentary
2 of 5
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Song of Songs
Literature
Kisses Sweeter than Wine: Understanding the Song of Songs | Rabbi Adam Greenwald, My Jewish Learning
3 of 5
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Short Story
Literature
"Shoes": Fiction from the Israeli Master of the Short Story | Etgar Keret at Tablet magazine
4 of 5
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Podcast
Literature
Episode 6: Poems as Teachers | Yehuda Amichai, On Being Podcast
5 of 5
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Victoria Hanna - "The Aleph-bet Song"
Music
1 of 5
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Most Ancient Love Poem: "Song of Songs"
Music
2 of 5
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"Revelation Nigun" by Joey Weisenberg and the Hadar Ensemble
Music
3 of 5
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Girls in Trouble - "River So Wide"
Music
4 of 5
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Amsterdam Klezmer Band - Carré 25 Year Anniversary Compilation
Music
5 of 5
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5 Iconic Jewish Dances from Around the World
Dance
1 of 4
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Jewish Dance - Mimitzraim Gealtanu
Dance
2 of 4
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Israeli Dance
Dance
3 of 4
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A-WA - "Hana Mash Hu Al Yaman"
Dance
4 of 4
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Explore Jewish Art
Visual Art
Mosaics of the Abraham & Isaac Story Show How Jews in Late Antiquity Used Art to Connect with Religion and Community | Abby Massarano, Stroum Center for Jewish Studies
1 of 5
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The Golden Haggadah
Visual Art
The Golden Haggadah | Dr. Elisa Foster at Smarthistory
2 of 5
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Marc Chagall
Visual Art
Marc Chagall's Jewish Identity Was Crucial to His Best Work | Jonathan McAloon at Artsy
3 of 5
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Samuel Bak
Visual Art
Samuel Bak's Illuminations Audio Tour | Facing History & Ourselves
4 of 5
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Deborah Kass
Visual Art
Artist Deborah Kass Wishes We All Had More #Jewtude | The Jewish Museum
5 of 5
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Holidays
Shabbat
Kosher
Prayer
Israel
TRADITIONS
Tikkun Olam
Torah Learning
Monotheism
Back to tREE
Rosh Hashanah
Yom Kippur
Sukkot
Passover
Shavuot
Holidays
Hanukkah
Purim
Tisha B'Av
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Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish new year, which takes place in the fall on the first two days of the Jewish calendar. Rosh Hashanah marks the start of the Jewish High Holidays (High Holy Days). The Jewish new year is a time for joy and celebration (the sweetness in life) as well as introspection. Rosh Hashanah is also known as the Day of Judgment, when, according to the Torah (Bible), God opens the Book of Life and Death, which is then sealed on Yom Kippur. Traditional observances of Rosh Hashanah may include the blowing of the shofar (trumpet-like instrument made of a ram’s horn); special foods like apples and challah (a braided ceremonial bread) dipped in honey; special prayers for forgiveness; and attending services at a synagogue.
1 of 2
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Learn More
Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah 101 | My Jewish Learning
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Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur
Also in the fall, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, marks the end of the Jewish High Holidays (a period also known as the Days of Awe). Yom Kippur is the most solemn of Jewish holidays, a day of fasting devoted to both individual and communal reflection and repentance for sins committed over the previous year. According to traditional belief, at the end of this day, God seals the Book of Life and Death for the coming year.
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Learn More
Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur 101 | My Jewish Learning
2 of 2
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Sukkot
Sukkot
Sukkot is an autumn holiday during which many Jewish people build a hut, or sukkah, outdoors and eat festive meals, relax, and celebrate in it for the duration of the holiday. These huts are constructed to remember the huts found in the Torah (Bible) that the Israelites lived in when they traveled through the desert to the Land of Israel after their exodus from Egypt. They remind Jewish people of a moment in their biblical history when they were transient visitors in order to encourage empathy toward those who might currently experience similar transience or instability.
1 of 2
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The LEGO Sukkot Movie
Sukkot
2 of 2
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Passover
Passover
Also known as Pesach, Passover commemorates the biblical Exodus story in which God intervened to bring the Jews (then called the Israelites) out of Egypt, where they were enslaved, and back to the Land of Israel, which they had left in a time of famine in the land. Traditional Passover family or communal celebrations include seders, ceremonial meals with symbolic foods (such as matzah, an unleavened bread), rituals, and storytelling. The Haggadah, a booklet that is often revised and adapted according to different people’s interpretations of the story, relays the story of Passover in a script-like format and is read out loud throughout the meal.
1 of 2
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Learn More
Passover
Passover 101 | My Jewish Learning
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Shavuot
Shavuot
Shavuot is a spring harvest holiday. In the Torah (Bible), Jewish people from across the Land of Israel would bring a portion of their first harvest to the Beit Hamikdash, the Holy Temple. It is also the day that, according to Jewish tradition, commemorates the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai following their exodus from Egypt. On this day, many Jews attend synagogue to listen to the Torah portion detailing the giving of the Torah. Some have the custom to eat traditional foods, such as sesame cookies (North Africa) or cheese blintzes (Eastern Europe), and many stay up all night on Shavuot studying Torah.
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Learn More
Shavuot
Shavuot 101 | My Jewish Learning
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Hanukkah
Hanukkah
Hanukkah is a holiday that commemorates the Jews’ victory over the ancient Greeks, when the Greek army invaded the Land of Israel and seized the Holy Temple, the Beit Hamikdash. In a military battle, the few Jewish fighters (the Maccabees) victoriously resisted a far larger and better-equipped Greek army. According to the traditional story of Hanukkah, when the Jewish people reentered the Beit Hamikdash, they found it was looted and its holy articles were destroyed. The Jews wished to restart temple services by lighting the menorah, a seven -branched candelabra, but no oil remained to light its wicks. One small jug of oil was found, and that portion of oil remained burning for eight days until new oil could be produced.
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Hanukkah (cont.)
Hanukkah
Today, Jewish people celebrate the holiday of Hanukkah for eight days in commemoration of that miracle in the traditional story, of the survival of the Jewish people, and the continuity of Jewish religion and culture. Today, an eight-branched menorah, called a Chanukiah, is lit each evening of the holiday, adding a candle or oil lamp each night until the entire Chanukiah is lit. Some communities give family members money, chocolate coins called gelt, or gifts on Hanukkah. It is also traditional to eat oil-based foods like jelly donuts or fried potato latkes to remember the miracle of the oil.
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Purim
Purim
Purim is a holiday that commemorates the story of Purim in the Book of Esther, which is read as a community on the holiday and is recorded in a scroll called a Megillah. While there are differing views on the origins of the Purim story, Jews had been living in Persia (modern-day Iran) since the Babylonians invaded Jerusalem and destroyed the first temple there in 586 BCE. The events of Purim were said to have taken place between 400 and 500 BCE.
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Purim (cont.)
Purim
In the story, Queen Esther saves the Jewish people from those who wish to destroy them, choosing with great risk to reveal her hidden Jewish identity and intervene on behalf of the Jewish people to her husband, King Achashverosh. The Purim story ends with the King having granted Esther’s wish to save the Jewish people in Persia, and the victorious event is a celebrated holiday. Jewish communities share festive foods, dress in costume, and read the Megillah aloud on this day.
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Tisha B'Av
Tisha B'Av
Tisha B’Av is an annual day of fasting that commemorates several tragedies in Jewish history, including the destruction of both Holy Temples in Jerusalem, in 587 BCE by the Babylonians and 70 CE by the Romans, respectively. In synagogue, Eicha, the Book of Lamentations, is read, which details the destruction of Jerusalem and the suffering of the Jewish people as they entered the subsequent exiles from the Land of Israel. Prayers have been added over time to commemorate victims of various tragedies in Jewish history, such as the Holocaust. On this day of mourning, those who observe sit on the floor as a sign of grief, refrain from eating and drinking, and wear simple clothing appropriate for a day of mourning and introspection.
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Shabbat
Shabbat
Shabbat or Shabbos, the Jewish Sabbath, takes place every Friday just before sundown and lasts for 25 hours until Saturday at sundown. All Jewish holidays begin and end at sundown. On Shabbat, those who observe cease to do work of any kind (professional work, housework, physical labor). Shabbat activities may include festive meals, specific prayers, songs and rituals, studying religious texts, and attending services at a synagogue (a Jewish place of worship, also known as a temple or shul).
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Learn More
Shabbat
Shabbat 101 | My Jewish Learning
2 of 3
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What is Shabbat? Intro to the Jewish Sabbath
Shabbat
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Kosher
Kosher
“Kosher” describes any food that complies with a strict set of dietary rules where only specific ingredients are used and someone knowledgeable in the laws of kosher is on site to make sure that non-kosher ingredients are not added in error. One law of kosher is that meat and milk should not be eaten in the same meal.
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What is Kosher?
Kosher
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Prayer
Prayer
There are many Jews who participate in both communal and personal prayer. Three days a week, portions of the Torah, the Hebrew Bible, are read in synagogue during the prayer service, so that by the end of the year the entire Torah has been studied. Prayers are recited three times daily. Some prayers are sung aloud and some are recited quietly, encouraging a conversation and personal relationship between the individual and God. There are specific prayers for holidays and other holy days, and the order of the day is structured around those prayer times. Jews pray facing in the direction of Jerusalem, no matter where they are located geographically in the world.
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Learn More
Prayer
Jewish Prayers and Liturgy 101 | My Jewish Learning
Synagogue Hall | Anu Museum of the Jewish People
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Israel
Israel
Israel appears early in the Torah (Bible) as the land that God promises to Abraham (considered the first patriarch of the Jewish people, according to tradition) for himself and his descendants. According to the Torah, Abraham’s descendants later leave the land and descend to Egypt in hope of finding food in a time of famine. The Jewish people return to the land of Israel in the later portions of the Bible after receiving the Torah on Mt. Sinai. Despite numerous expulsions by various empires over time, the connection to and yearning for the holy Land of Israel carries through the Torah into the later writings called the Prophets and in prayer and liturgy until today. The modern state of Israel was founded in 1948 and is where 46% of the world’s Jewish population currently lives. Moving to Israel is called aliyah,—literally, an ascension—and has been the goal of many Jews worldwide for centuries.
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"Repairing the World"
Tikkun Olam
This Hebrew phrase loosely translates to “repair the world.” Tikkun Olam is a core Jewish value and charge that everyone must acknowledge the suffering in the world and work to alleviate it. Jewish values teach that it is everyone’s responsibility to work to better our world, and that although no one person can complete all the work, together we can make what is broken whole once again.
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Repairing the World: Is Tikkun Olam Jewish?
Tikkun Olam
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Torah Study
Torah Learning
The study of Torah is a core value in Judaism. In the Jewish faith, everyone is required to learn and grow, regardless of their class or age. According to the tradition, parents also have a particular obligation to educate their children. Throughout the ages, when Jewish communities are established, one of the first institutions that is built aside from the synagogue is the house of study (Beit Midrash).
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How Education Kept Judaism Alive
Torah Learning
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Monotheism
Monotheism
Judaism is a monotheistic religion, which means that its foundation is the belief in only one God. This core tenet is listed first in the Ten Commandments and is believed to be traced back to Abraham, the first patriarch of the Jewish people, who, in a time when each household and community had its idols and deities, believed that one God created the world. Much later, in the twelfth century, when Rabbi Moses ben Maimon (Maimonides) compiled his 13 principles of Jewish faith, he included the one-ness of God as first on his list.
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The following sources were consulted in the development of this activity:
My Jewish Learning
Institute for Curriculum Services
Pew Research Center
Chabad.org
Jewish Identity Tree
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Transcript
Exploring Jewish Identity
Welcome! This activity will help you explore different aspects of Jewish identity. Note that this activity does not contain an exhaustive list of all aspects of Jewish identity for all Jewish people. Rather, this serves as an introductory self-guided tour through some components of Jewish life for many Jews and offers multimedia illustrations of those components.
BEGIN
ETHNICITY
TRADITIONS
RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCE
CULTURE
LANGUAGE
Select a cetegory to begin exploring.
SOURCES
Indian Jews
Sephardic
Watch a video about where Jews are from.
Latin American Jews
Ashkenazi
Mizrahi
Chinese Jews
Italki
Jews of the Global Majority; Multiethnic and Multiracial Jews
ETHNICITY
Ethiopian/Beta
Jews by Choice
Abayudaya
Back to tREE
Is there a difference between Sephardic and Mizrachi Jews?
Sephardic
Back to BRANCH
Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi
Who Are Ashkenazi Jews? | Rabbi Rachel M. Solomin, My Jewish Learning
Back to BRANCH
Is There a Difference Between Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews?
Mizrahi
1 of 3
Back to BRANCH
Explore More
Mizrahi
A Brief Overview of Mizrahi Jews | Facing History & Ourselves
2 of 3
Back to BRANCH
What Happened to the Mizrahi Jews of Arab Countries?
Mizrahi
3 of 3
Back to BRANCH
Rome, Italy: Jewish Quarter
Italki
Back to BRANCH
Ethiopian Jews
Ethiopian/Beta
The History of Ethiopian Jewry | Atira Winchester, My Jewish Learning
Back to BRANCH
Ugandan Jews
Abayudaya
We Are the Jews of Uganda. This is Our Story | Mugoya Shadrach Levi and Edward Rensin
1 of 2
Back to BRANCH
Music from the Jewish People of Uganda
Abayudaya
Abayudaya: Music from the Jewish People of Uganda | Various Artists
2 of 2
Back to BRANCH
Indian Jews
Indian Jews
India's 'Lost' Jews Seek a Place in Israel | Lulu Garcia-Navarro, NPR
Back to BRANCH
Conversos: The Story of Latin America's Crypto Jews
Latin American Jews
1 of 2
Back to BRANCH
The Jewish Diaspora: Latin American Stories
Latin American Jews
2 of 2
Back to BRANCH
Who Are the Chinese Jews of Kaifeng?
Chinese Jews
Back to BRANCH
Global Majority; Multiethnic and Multiracial Jews
Japanese Jews
Jewpanese Project | Carmel Tanaka
1 of 5
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Global Majority; Multiethnic and Multiracial Jews
Periphery
Periphery Exhibit | UJA Federation of Greater Toronto
2 of 5
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Global Majority; Multiethnic and Multiracial Jews
Jews of Color
Navigating Nuance: Using the Term "Jews of Color" | Jews of Color Initiative
3 of 5
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Global Majority; Multiethnic and Multiracial Jews
Jewtina
Join the Jewtina Movement | Jewtina y Co.
4 of 5
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Global Majority; Multiethnic and Multiracial Jews
The Untold Origins of Black Jews in America
5 of 5
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Jews by Choice
Jews by Choice
While Judaism is not an evangelical religion, meaning Jews do not recruit others to join the faith, the Torah and Talmud outline how those who choose to convert to Judaism must be treated once they enter the community. This includes making “Jews by choice” feel welcome, a responsibility found in verses from the Torah charging that Jews must remember what it was like to be strangers in Egypt. The Torah also requires that communities build social safety nets for those who do not have a strong family support system, like converts, widows, and orphans. It is important that those who choose to join the Jewish community feel that they belong and are not “othered” in any way.
Back to BRANCH
Ladino
Hebrew
Yiddish
Aramaic
Judeo-Arabic
LANGUAGE
Bukharic
Amharic
Back to tREE
Ladino
Ladino
Judeo-Spanish / Judezmo / Ladino | Jewish Languages
Back to BRANCH
Hebrew
Hebrew
Back to BRANCH
Yiddish
Yiddish
Yiddish (Eastern) | Jewish Languages
Back to BRANCH
Aramaic
Aramaic
Ancient Judeo-Aramaic | Jewish Languages
Back to BRANCH
Judeo-Arabic
Judeo-Arabic
Judeo-Arabic | Jewish Languages
Back to BRANCH
Bukharic
Bukharic
Judeo-Tajik / Bukharian | Jewish Languages
Back to BRANCH
Amharic
Amharic
Jewish Ethiopian Languages | Jewish Languages
Back to BRANCH
Conservative
Watch a video on the history of Jewish movements.
Cultural
Hasidic
Orthodox
Reconstructionist
RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCE
Reform
Renewal
Secular
Back to tREE
Conservative
Conservative
Seeks to preserve structure and content of Jewish law while allowing for adaptations to fit modernity.
Back to BRANCH
Cultural
Cultural
Jews who welcome the aspects of Judaism that connect them to the Jewish past and to one another. This can include music, foods, holidays, rituals, history, and literature but likely not the study of Torah or obligatory Jewish law.
Back to BRANCH
Hasidic
Hasidic
Orthodox Jews who form communities around a particular rabbi, called a rebbe. The rebbe’s teachings support strict Torah observance but primarily relate to modes of spiritual connection and worldview and often connect to kabbalah (Jewish mysticism).
Back to BRANCH
Orthodox
Orthodox
Emphasizes observance of both ethical and ritual obligations of traditional Jewish law.
Back to BRANCH
Reconstructionist
Reconstructionist
Emerging in the early twentieth century, the youngest of the American Jewish denominations. Sees Judaism as a civilization that must adapt and welcomes alternative approaches to traditional Jewish practice and law in light of contemporary events, philosophies, and scientific advances.
Back to BRANCH
Reform
Reform
Emphasizes ethical obligations over traditional understandings of Jewish law.
Back to BRANCH
Renewal
Renewal
Renewal Judaism seeks to rejuvenate Jewish observance through joyous spiritual practice. This can include inspiration drawn from kabbalistic sources (Jewish mysticism) or faiths outside Judaism. The goal is an energetic expression of Jewish spiritual connection.
Back to BRANCH
Secular
Secular
Jews who identify as secular Jews maintain their Jewish identity outside of any connection to Jewish spirituality or religious observance. As in other denominations and observance levels, each person decides for themselves what points of Jewish connection continue to be meaningful for them as an individual.
Back to BRANCH
Foods
Symbols
Literature
Music
CULTURE
Dance
Visual Art
Back to tREE
Explore Jewish Foods
Foods
Food Communities from Foodish | Anu Museum of the Jewish People
Mizrahi Remembrance Month | Onetable X Jimena Shabbat Supplement
1 of 3
Back to BRANCH
What Are the Top 8 Jewish Foods?
Foods
2 of 3
Back to BRANCH
Jewish Food: More Than Just Matzo Ball Soup
Foods
3 of 3
Back to BRANCH
Jewish Star
Symbols
How My Star of David Necklace Helped Me Understand My Jewish Identity | Sofia Isaias-Day, Jewish Women's Archive
1 of 5
Back to BRANCH
Jewish Hats to Hair Coverings: Decoding Jewish Attire
Symbols
2 of 5
Back to BRANCH
Podcast
Symbols
Episode 32: Jewish Head Coverings: A Blessing on Your Head | Association for Jewish Studies Podcast
3 of 5
Back to BRANCH
Hamsa
Symbols
What is a Hamsa? | Menachem Wecker at My Jewish Learning
4 of 5
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Peyot
Symbols
Why Do Some Chassidic Jews Have Long Sidelocks (Peyot)? | Yehuda Shurpin at Chabad.org
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Poems
Literature
Poems of Jewish Faith and Culture | Poetry Foundation
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Story
Literature
Three Stories: Fable of the Goat | S. Y. Agnon at Commentary
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Song of Songs
Literature
Kisses Sweeter than Wine: Understanding the Song of Songs | Rabbi Adam Greenwald, My Jewish Learning
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Short Story
Literature
"Shoes": Fiction from the Israeli Master of the Short Story | Etgar Keret at Tablet magazine
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Podcast
Literature
Episode 6: Poems as Teachers | Yehuda Amichai, On Being Podcast
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Victoria Hanna - "The Aleph-bet Song"
Music
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Most Ancient Love Poem: "Song of Songs"
Music
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"Revelation Nigun" by Joey Weisenberg and the Hadar Ensemble
Music
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Girls in Trouble - "River So Wide"
Music
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Amsterdam Klezmer Band - Carré 25 Year Anniversary Compilation
Music
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5 Iconic Jewish Dances from Around the World
Dance
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Jewish Dance - Mimitzraim Gealtanu
Dance
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Israeli Dance
Dance
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A-WA - "Hana Mash Hu Al Yaman"
Dance
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Explore Jewish Art
Visual Art
Mosaics of the Abraham & Isaac Story Show How Jews in Late Antiquity Used Art to Connect with Religion and Community | Abby Massarano, Stroum Center for Jewish Studies
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The Golden Haggadah
Visual Art
The Golden Haggadah | Dr. Elisa Foster at Smarthistory
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Marc Chagall
Visual Art
Marc Chagall's Jewish Identity Was Crucial to His Best Work | Jonathan McAloon at Artsy
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Samuel Bak
Visual Art
Samuel Bak's Illuminations Audio Tour | Facing History & Ourselves
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Deborah Kass
Visual Art
Artist Deborah Kass Wishes We All Had More #Jewtude | The Jewish Museum
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Holidays
Shabbat
Kosher
Prayer
Israel
TRADITIONS
Tikkun Olam
Torah Learning
Monotheism
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Rosh Hashanah
Yom Kippur
Sukkot
Passover
Shavuot
Holidays
Hanukkah
Purim
Tisha B'Av
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Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish new year, which takes place in the fall on the first two days of the Jewish calendar. Rosh Hashanah marks the start of the Jewish High Holidays (High Holy Days). The Jewish new year is a time for joy and celebration (the sweetness in life) as well as introspection. Rosh Hashanah is also known as the Day of Judgment, when, according to the Torah (Bible), God opens the Book of Life and Death, which is then sealed on Yom Kippur. Traditional observances of Rosh Hashanah may include the blowing of the shofar (trumpet-like instrument made of a ram’s horn); special foods like apples and challah (a braided ceremonial bread) dipped in honey; special prayers for forgiveness; and attending services at a synagogue.
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Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah 101 | My Jewish Learning
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Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur
Also in the fall, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, marks the end of the Jewish High Holidays (a period also known as the Days of Awe). Yom Kippur is the most solemn of Jewish holidays, a day of fasting devoted to both individual and communal reflection and repentance for sins committed over the previous year. According to traditional belief, at the end of this day, God seals the Book of Life and Death for the coming year.
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Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur 101 | My Jewish Learning
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Sukkot
Sukkot
Sukkot is an autumn holiday during which many Jewish people build a hut, or sukkah, outdoors and eat festive meals, relax, and celebrate in it for the duration of the holiday. These huts are constructed to remember the huts found in the Torah (Bible) that the Israelites lived in when they traveled through the desert to the Land of Israel after their exodus from Egypt. They remind Jewish people of a moment in their biblical history when they were transient visitors in order to encourage empathy toward those who might currently experience similar transience or instability.
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The LEGO Sukkot Movie
Sukkot
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Passover
Passover
Also known as Pesach, Passover commemorates the biblical Exodus story in which God intervened to bring the Jews (then called the Israelites) out of Egypt, where they were enslaved, and back to the Land of Israel, which they had left in a time of famine in the land. Traditional Passover family or communal celebrations include seders, ceremonial meals with symbolic foods (such as matzah, an unleavened bread), rituals, and storytelling. The Haggadah, a booklet that is often revised and adapted according to different people’s interpretations of the story, relays the story of Passover in a script-like format and is read out loud throughout the meal.
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Passover
Passover 101 | My Jewish Learning
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Shavuot
Shavuot
Shavuot is a spring harvest holiday. In the Torah (Bible), Jewish people from across the Land of Israel would bring a portion of their first harvest to the Beit Hamikdash, the Holy Temple. It is also the day that, according to Jewish tradition, commemorates the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai following their exodus from Egypt. On this day, many Jews attend synagogue to listen to the Torah portion detailing the giving of the Torah. Some have the custom to eat traditional foods, such as sesame cookies (North Africa) or cheese blintzes (Eastern Europe), and many stay up all night on Shavuot studying Torah.
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Shavuot
Shavuot 101 | My Jewish Learning
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Hanukkah
Hanukkah
Hanukkah is a holiday that commemorates the Jews’ victory over the ancient Greeks, when the Greek army invaded the Land of Israel and seized the Holy Temple, the Beit Hamikdash. In a military battle, the few Jewish fighters (the Maccabees) victoriously resisted a far larger and better-equipped Greek army. According to the traditional story of Hanukkah, when the Jewish people reentered the Beit Hamikdash, they found it was looted and its holy articles were destroyed. The Jews wished to restart temple services by lighting the menorah, a seven -branched candelabra, but no oil remained to light its wicks. One small jug of oil was found, and that portion of oil remained burning for eight days until new oil could be produced.
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Hanukkah (cont.)
Hanukkah
Today, Jewish people celebrate the holiday of Hanukkah for eight days in commemoration of that miracle in the traditional story, of the survival of the Jewish people, and the continuity of Jewish religion and culture. Today, an eight-branched menorah, called a Chanukiah, is lit each evening of the holiday, adding a candle or oil lamp each night until the entire Chanukiah is lit. Some communities give family members money, chocolate coins called gelt, or gifts on Hanukkah. It is also traditional to eat oil-based foods like jelly donuts or fried potato latkes to remember the miracle of the oil.
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Purim
Purim
Purim is a holiday that commemorates the story of Purim in the Book of Esther, which is read as a community on the holiday and is recorded in a scroll called a Megillah. While there are differing views on the origins of the Purim story, Jews had been living in Persia (modern-day Iran) since the Babylonians invaded Jerusalem and destroyed the first temple there in 586 BCE. The events of Purim were said to have taken place between 400 and 500 BCE.
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Purim (cont.)
Purim
In the story, Queen Esther saves the Jewish people from those who wish to destroy them, choosing with great risk to reveal her hidden Jewish identity and intervene on behalf of the Jewish people to her husband, King Achashverosh. The Purim story ends with the King having granted Esther’s wish to save the Jewish people in Persia, and the victorious event is a celebrated holiday. Jewish communities share festive foods, dress in costume, and read the Megillah aloud on this day.
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Tisha B'Av
Tisha B'Av
Tisha B’Av is an annual day of fasting that commemorates several tragedies in Jewish history, including the destruction of both Holy Temples in Jerusalem, in 587 BCE by the Babylonians and 70 CE by the Romans, respectively. In synagogue, Eicha, the Book of Lamentations, is read, which details the destruction of Jerusalem and the suffering of the Jewish people as they entered the subsequent exiles from the Land of Israel. Prayers have been added over time to commemorate victims of various tragedies in Jewish history, such as the Holocaust. On this day of mourning, those who observe sit on the floor as a sign of grief, refrain from eating and drinking, and wear simple clothing appropriate for a day of mourning and introspection.
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Shabbat
Shabbat
Shabbat or Shabbos, the Jewish Sabbath, takes place every Friday just before sundown and lasts for 25 hours until Saturday at sundown. All Jewish holidays begin and end at sundown. On Shabbat, those who observe cease to do work of any kind (professional work, housework, physical labor). Shabbat activities may include festive meals, specific prayers, songs and rituals, studying religious texts, and attending services at a synagogue (a Jewish place of worship, also known as a temple or shul).
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Learn More
Shabbat
Shabbat 101 | My Jewish Learning
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What is Shabbat? Intro to the Jewish Sabbath
Shabbat
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Kosher
Kosher
“Kosher” describes any food that complies with a strict set of dietary rules where only specific ingredients are used and someone knowledgeable in the laws of kosher is on site to make sure that non-kosher ingredients are not added in error. One law of kosher is that meat and milk should not be eaten in the same meal.
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What is Kosher?
Kosher
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Prayer
Prayer
There are many Jews who participate in both communal and personal prayer. Three days a week, portions of the Torah, the Hebrew Bible, are read in synagogue during the prayer service, so that by the end of the year the entire Torah has been studied. Prayers are recited three times daily. Some prayers are sung aloud and some are recited quietly, encouraging a conversation and personal relationship between the individual and God. There are specific prayers for holidays and other holy days, and the order of the day is structured around those prayer times. Jews pray facing in the direction of Jerusalem, no matter where they are located geographically in the world.
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Learn More
Prayer
Jewish Prayers and Liturgy 101 | My Jewish Learning
Synagogue Hall | Anu Museum of the Jewish People
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Israel
Israel
Israel appears early in the Torah (Bible) as the land that God promises to Abraham (considered the first patriarch of the Jewish people, according to tradition) for himself and his descendants. According to the Torah, Abraham’s descendants later leave the land and descend to Egypt in hope of finding food in a time of famine. The Jewish people return to the land of Israel in the later portions of the Bible after receiving the Torah on Mt. Sinai. Despite numerous expulsions by various empires over time, the connection to and yearning for the holy Land of Israel carries through the Torah into the later writings called the Prophets and in prayer and liturgy until today. The modern state of Israel was founded in 1948 and is where 46% of the world’s Jewish population currently lives. Moving to Israel is called aliyah,—literally, an ascension—and has been the goal of many Jews worldwide for centuries.
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"Repairing the World"
Tikkun Olam
This Hebrew phrase loosely translates to “repair the world.” Tikkun Olam is a core Jewish value and charge that everyone must acknowledge the suffering in the world and work to alleviate it. Jewish values teach that it is everyone’s responsibility to work to better our world, and that although no one person can complete all the work, together we can make what is broken whole once again.
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Repairing the World: Is Tikkun Olam Jewish?
Tikkun Olam
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Torah Study
Torah Learning
The study of Torah is a core value in Judaism. In the Jewish faith, everyone is required to learn and grow, regardless of their class or age. According to the tradition, parents also have a particular obligation to educate their children. Throughout the ages, when Jewish communities are established, one of the first institutions that is built aside from the synagogue is the house of study (Beit Midrash).
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How Education Kept Judaism Alive
Torah Learning
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Monotheism
Monotheism
Judaism is a monotheistic religion, which means that its foundation is the belief in only one God. This core tenet is listed first in the Ten Commandments and is believed to be traced back to Abraham, the first patriarch of the Jewish people, who, in a time when each household and community had its idols and deities, believed that one God created the world. Much later, in the twelfth century, when Rabbi Moses ben Maimon (Maimonides) compiled his 13 principles of Jewish faith, he included the one-ness of God as first on his list.
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The following sources were consulted in the development of this activity:
My Jewish Learning
Institute for Curriculum Services
Pew Research Center
Chabad.org